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TYRE STRATEGY TO FORM THE KEY
TO THE 2012 SEASON
WHAT’S THE STORY?
Having helped to set the fastest-ever lap of Albert Park during qualifying
last year, Pirelli has a tough act to follow in 2012. But in its second
season of Formula One, the Italian firm has placed the emphasis even more
firmly on race strategy by reducing the performance gap between the
compounds and extending the window of peak performance on every tyre.
In Australia this weekend, the P Zero White medium tyre has been nominated
together with the P Zero Yellow soft – and the difference between them is
expected to be in the region of six-tenths of a second per lap. As always,
the weather in Australia can be extremely variable, with the P Zero Green
intermediates and P Zero Blue wet tyres available as well.
There are some new tyre regulations in force this year, which means the
teams will have all 11 sets of their total allocation available to them from
the start of the first free practice session on Friday. This is designed to
encourage the cars to run as much as possible from the very beginning of the
race weekend, providing plenty of on-track action. As well as that, new
technical rules ban blown diffusers, and Pirelli has responded to this by
producing tyres that provide more grip at the rear than before. New markings
will also make the distinct compound-specific colours more visible to
audiences.
Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel will start this year aiming to
become only the third driver in the history of Formula One to lift three
straight drivers‟ titles. The original person to manage this feat was the
legendary Juan Manuel Fangio, who won his first title with Pirelli tyres in
1951.
PIRELLI’S MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR SAYS:
Paul Hembery: “Last year, we set the standard high by helping to ensure a
season with the most overtaking in the history of Formula One, but this year
we aim to make the spectacle even better. In general, our tyres are going to
be less conservative, as can be seen from the choices we have nominated for
the first three grands prix of the year. But the teams have a better idea of
what to expect from us in 2012, and after nearly 50,000 kilometres of
pre-season testing, we are sure they will already have a pretty good handle
on the characteristics of the tyres and possible strategies. What we have
aimed to do this year with the tyres is to give them more options, which of
course makes the tyres more of a talking point. The drivers and cars will
always be the stars of the show, but we‟d like, once more, to bring the
tyres more to the forefront. The teams asked us to challenge them this year,
and naturally our aim is not to disappoint them. So we‟re looking forward to
another great race in Australia, which is always a fantastic place to get
the season underway, thanks to its wonderful atmosphere and warm welcome.”
THE MEN BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL SAY:
Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing: “This year we start the season in
Melbourne with the benefit of a year of working with Pirelli tyres. For 2012
Pirelli have developed new tyres, with softer compounds and improved warm
up. After a lot of winter testing on cold tracks in Spain we will have new
challenges in the much warmer conditions in Albert Park. The weekend always
starts with the track being quite dirty and conditions change and improve
all the way through the weekend. It's bumpy and so easy to make a mistake
and as the circuit grip improves, the behaviour of the tyres changes a lot.
There are lots of points to get the right set-up for, in particular the
Prost curve - you need a good set-up to look after the front tyres and avoid
understeer to get the best speed on the start-finish. We have had a good
winter testing, but now we start the real business. Last year was very good
for us here, so I hope I stay on track and have another good race.
TECHNICAL NOTES:
• Australia is a semi-permanent facility that is not used extensively during
the year and with smooth, non-abrasive asphalt. This means that the track is
quite „green‟ towards the beginning of the weekend, but evolves considerably
as more rubber is laid down.
• Around two pit stops per car are expected: this turned out to be the
winning strategy last year, with 11 of the 14 classified finishers adopting
it.
• Acceleration and braking are the main characteristics of the 5.303 km
Albert Park circuit, rather than any especially demanding corners. So the
longitudinal forces at work on the tyres are greater than the lateral
forces.
• The rear-left tyre is the most stressed at Albert Park as there are 10
right-hand corners and six left-hand corners.
• A wide variety of weather conditions are possible, from torrential rain to
bright sunshine. The soft and medium tyres represent the most versatile
combination of tyre to deal with an extensive range of temperatures. Early
forecasts indicate that rain could be expected on Friday for free practice.
• Last year, Pirelli nominated the hard compound together with the soft
compound: the nomination for this year is less conservative – with the
medium much closer in character to the 2011 soft.
PIRELLI IN AUSTRALIA:
• Pirelli has been present in Australia since 1971. The company is now based
in Sydney, employing just over 30 full-time staff.
• Pirelli Australia has a long history of taking part in community support
projects. Last year, Pirelli Australia joined forces with the Mark Webber
Challenge to raise money for Australian charities, while it also donated $1
AUD for every tyre sold to Queensland‟s Flood Relief fund.
• Australian-born model Catherine McNeil featured on the world-renowned
Pirelli calendar in 2008 and 2010. |
