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SPEED, CONSISTENCY AND
DURABILITY FOR VALENCIA
WHAT’S THE STORY?
The third consecutive street circuit on this year’s Formula One calendar,
the Grand Prix of
Europe, contains the highest number of corners of any track all year (25)
and is likely to be run in high temperatures – meaning that the P Zero White
medium tyres and P Zero Yellow soft tyres have been nominated.
This combination highlights both the durability and performance of the
tyres, on a circuit where overtaking is notoriously difficult. Just like
Monaco, qualifying will be crucial, and the speed of the soft tyre will be
vital when it comes to boosting drivers up the start order. In the race, the
strength and consistency of the medium tyre will form an essential part of
the strategy.
Many of the corners are fast and flow into each other, making overtaking
difficult as there is little room for manoeuvre and not a huge speed
differential between the cars. The final sequence of corners is taken in
rapid succession at 290kph, followed by a heavy braking area into the last
corner where the cars go from 310 to 60kph in less than 130 metres. The
deceleration peaks at 5.2g, with a big risk of locking up a wheel, but the
layout of the
corner means that it is still not easy to pass the car in front.
This will put the emphasis on strategy, as cars try to get past each other
in the pits as well as on the track. Last year, the frontrunners all adopted
the same strategy: starting on the soft tyre and stopping three times before
completing a final stint on the medium tyre. With the cars more closely
matched than ever, the right tactics will be even more important this time.
Like all street circuits, the track evolution over the course of the weekend
will be notable as more and more rubber is laid down.
Pirelli’s motorsport director says:
Paul Hembery: “Valencia could not present a bigger contrast to the street
circuits that have come before it: the track is faster and the temperatures
higher, with plenty of energy going through the tyres. What it has in common
with the others is the difficulty of overtaking, which will put the emphasis
on qualifying. So we are expecting a fairly straightforward race, with
either two or three stops depending on which tactics the teams use –
although one
team tried a one-stopper last year as well. The weather should be
consistently warm throughout the weekend, which should lead to fewer
variables in terms of temperature, so there probably won’t be many big
surprises to emerge. We’ve used the combination of soft and medium tyres
more than any other line-up so far this year, as it has shown itself to be a
perfect compromise between performance and durability, allowing drivers to
show their speed when they need to but also benefit from longer stints in
the race.”
The men behind the steering wheel say:
Pastor Maldonado (Williams F1 Team): “Valencia is not a typical circuit
because it is a mixture between a normal race track and regular roads that
are used throughout the year, so it is always tricky to put every element
together. The track also tends to evolve a lot from session to session which
can throw up some surprises. It has quite long straights and a number of
slow speed corners, which makes it difficult to find a good balance with the
car. The air and track temperatures tend to be high and it is a long race,
so it is a challenging circuit for tyres, with good tyre management
important if you want to get a strong result. It is also useful to conserve
your tyres ahead of the race because if you have an extra set you will have
an advantage.”
Pirelli’s test driver says:
Jaime Alguersuari: “Valencia is a circuit that I like a lot, but of course I
am biased because it is another home race for me! It’s a very challenging
track because of all the variety of corners and the fact that it’s so
difficult to overtake, with no room at all to make a mistake. It’s what I
would call a ‘stop and start’ track, because this is where you make all the
time, but obviously all the traction and braking is hard work for the tyres:
in that respect it is a little bit like Canada. Combined traction is the
most important element to a quick lap,
together with a good top speed. It’s a track that we tend to run with low
downforce, and this is another factor that influences the tyre wear as
well.”
Technical tyre notes:
• The brakes work hard at Valencia, with several big stops from more than
300kph. This is a challenging task for the front tyres in particular, which
have to slow the car down and turn in at the same time – subjecting
themselves to two different forces. Traction rather than braking constitutes
the biggest longitudinal force in Valencia though.
• One of the key factors to a good set-up in Valencia, with 25 corners, is
ensuring that the cars turn in precisely. A stiffer suspension set-up would
be ideal for this, but at the same time the suspension has to be soft
enough to ensure a good level of mechanical grip in the slow corners as
well. As usual, it’s a delicate compromise.
• The surface in Valencia is not especially abrasive: in fact it is very
slippery at the start of the weekend. However, the constant traction
demands also mean that the rear tyres are worked hard and teams will need to
keep an eye on the wear in this area.
Pirelli in Spain:
• Pirelli tested in Valencia twice during the build-up to its first season
in Formula One, but only at the permanent circuit on the outskirts of the
city rather than on the 5.419-kilometre street circuit inaugurated in 2008.
• One of Pirelli’s largest logistics hubs in Europe is located in Manresa,
Spain. The facility was inaugurated in 2010 and includes a new warehouse of
2800 square metres, as well as 19 loading bays that distribute car, truck
and bike tyres all over Spain and Portugal.
• Spain is currently the only country to host two grands prix, in Barcelona
and Valencia. At the Spanish Grand Prix last month, Pastor Maldonado used
Pirelli tyres to claim the first race win for Williams in eight years.
Other news from Pirelli:
• Pirelli recently launched the new Cinturato P7 Blue tyre: a road tyre
designed to offer cars with medium sized engines increased mileage, reduced
wet braking distances and lower rolling resistance. The new tyre from
Pirelli takes its name from the Cinturato Blue full wet tyre used in Formula
One. • As the Formula One teams prepared to travel to the Valencia street
circuit, Pirelli’s GP3 drivers took part in a group test at the permanent
Ricardo Tormo circuit. In hot conditions, Carlin’s William Buller went
quickest |
