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Hot and Humid: Pirelli faces the
most challenging conditions yet
WHAT’S THE STORY?
 Malaysia provided an action-packed race with plenty of overtaking and a
podium battle that went right down to the very last lap – and in China
Pirelli is hoping for more of the same. Shanghai is designed to test the
limits of a modern Formula One car, particularly when it comes to traction
and braking, where the tyres are under most stress.
Temperatures in China are expected to be considerably lower than they were
in Malaysia, with much less humidity. Added to the smoother surface found in
Shanghai, in theory there should be much less degradation. Rain is not an
uncommon occurrence in China, so after a dry Malaysia, this could be where
the intermediate and wet PZero tyres finally make their competition debut.
Otherwise, it will be the hard and the soft tyres that once again take
centre stage, which were also nominated for Australia and Malaysia this
year. The soft tyre in particular should be well-suited to the
5.451-kilometre track, but China is a race that is always hard to predict.
Since the Chinese Grand Prix was first held in 2004, there has been a
different winner every year: a sign of the diverse characteristics and
complex variables that characterize the race.
PIRELLI’S MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR SAYS:
Paul Hembery: “So far I’m very pleased with the way that our tyres have
helped the show, but I’m always impressed by the way that the teams and
drivers learn so quickly: I’m sure they will be finding different solutions
to make the tyres last longer all the time. So far we have accurately
predicted two pit stops in Australia and three in Malaysia but we’ll have to
wait until we see the data after Friday free practice before having a
completely clear idea of what to expect in China. Unlike Malaysia, where we
provided the teams with an experimental tyre for free practice, we will give
each team one extra set of the usual hard tyres for Friday’s first free
practice session – just as we did in Australia. We saw then that it worked
well, allowing the teams to maximise their track time and prepare as
thoroughly as possible for the race, so we’d like to give them the
same opportunity again. The first two races have been absolutely thrilling;
I’m hoping that we’ll see the same again in China!”
THE MEN BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL SAY:
Michael Schumacher (Mercedes): “After Australia and Malaysia, once again we
have a very different type of circuit at Shanghai, so it’s still going to be
a steep learning curve with the Pirelli tyres for everyone. We’ve seen so
far that strategy is important as well as tyre management, and I would
certainly expect that to be the case again in China. In terms of tyre wear,
Shanghai should be more forgiving than Malaysia with temperatures generally
being a lot lower and the surface smoother. In general the performance of
the Pirelli tyres is good, but learning how to control the window during
which they are at their best is the big challenge. My job and the job of the
team is to find the best solution for our car and this will be our objective
once more in Shanghai.”
TECHNICAL NOTES AND TYRE CHOICES SO FAR:
* One of the characteristics of the Shanghai circuit is heavy braking, which
tends to put more stress on the front tyres than the rears. In severe
braking zones, the car and tyres are subjected to deceleration forces
equivalent to 5G.
* China has a special significance for the world championship leader and
winner of Pirelli’s first two grands prix, Sebastian Vettel. In 2009, it was
the scene of the German’s first ever pole position and win for Red Bull
Racing.
* Last year saw the highest number of pit stops in the history of the
Chinese Grand Prix. There were a total of 67 stops: an average of 2.79 per
driver, at a race that was held in mixed conditions. By way of comparison,
the Malaysian Grand Prix that has just taken place had 59 stops.
PIRELLI IN CHINA:
* Pirelli China is part of Pirelli Asia-Pacific. China is one of the
fastest-growing markets for Pirelli, and the Italian firm has two factories
in the Shangdong province: one for car tyres and another for truck tyres.
The latest factory has been designed with capacity to expand to 10 million
units per year.
* Pirelli tyres have been successful in FIA GT racing in China, at the
Zhuhai circuit, and also on the China Rally, part of the FIA Asia Pacific
Rally Championship.
* China forms a huge part of Pirelli’s motorsport history. Pirelli’s first
major international
win was on the 1907 Peking to Paris road race, won by Prince Scipione
Borghese in a seven-litre Itala. |
