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The Gilles Villeneuve circuit
in Montreal is an interesting circuit with a mixture of long, fast straights
and slow corners. Pirelli will bring the P Zero White medium and P Zero Red
supersoft tyres to Montreal: both tyres with a low working range, which
makes them perfectly matched to the likely weather conditions at the
semi-permanent Canadian track. Temperatures are usually quite cool and there
have been a number of wet races in the past, which means that the Cinturato
Green intermediates and Cinturato Blue wet tyres might also make an
appearance. In addition, Pirelli will also bring two sets per car of a
prototype medium tyre, which features a revised rear construction that is
likely to be used for the rest of the season, for use on Friday only.
Paul Hembery: “Canada is always one of the most unpredictable races of the
year and this is partly because it is so challenging for tyres, mostly due
to the heavy braking and traction demands of the circuit. Coupled with a
high degree of track evolution over the weekend, effective tyre management
has always been a key to success in Montreal, right from when the circuit
was inaugurated in the late 1970s. We’d expect two to three pit stops per
car, but we’ll only be able to make a precise forecast after Friday once
we’ve seen some running out on track. It’s a circuit where weather
conditions often play a key role: our very first Canadian Grand Prix in 2011
actually turned out to be the longest race in Formula One history because of
heavy rain and a subsequent race stoppage. Last year was dry, but we
witnessed a new record with the seventh winner from seven races. Because of
the high degree of tyre wear and degradation, we would expect to see a
number of different strategies at work, as was the case last year – with
teams deciding whether to go for a ‘sprint’ strategy or to do fewer stops
and put the accent on endurance. Last year the ‘sprint’ approach won the
race, but with so many different parameters at work, the teams will have to
analyse the data – not to mention the weather forecast – very carefully
before committing to any particular tactics. Often a flexible approach works
best in Canada, so we can also expect many teams to be leaving their options
open, allowing the drivers to really make the difference when it counts.”
Jean Alesi: “Canada will always be an incredibly special place for me,
because of course it’s where I won the race in 1995, driving for Ferrari,
with the number of Gilles Villeneuve: number 27. It’s hard to describe the
emotion, but it was just an amazing feeling of joy and an incredible
atmosphere, with the crowd running onto the track afterwards… Canada is
always a place where the fans are absolutely fantastic; it’s a great feeling
to go to a country where Formula One is embraced so enthusiastically. For a
driver it is a really big challenge too: as so many of the grandstands are
close to the track and the walls are very close as well, so it feels a bit
like Monaco in some ways. But of course it’s a lot faster than Monaco and
this is why it is challenging for the tyres as well. The main characteristic
is acceleration and braking: you cover a really wide range of speeds from
flat-out on the straight to very slow corners. It’s important to manage the
tyres properly and have a good strategy to cope with these demands. I think
we’re in for a fantastic race, this is a grand prix I always really look
forward to.”
The circuit from a tyre point of view:
Along with Singapore, Korea and Monaco, Canada has a very high safety car
probability. This is one of the reasons why a flexible strategy often pays
dividends there. A safety car can change the complexion of a race entirely –
and while this wasn’t the case in Monaco two weeks ago, in Canada there are
many more opportunities for overtaking.
The race winner last year (Lewis Hamilton) stopped twice, while the second
and third placed finishers stopped only once. The strategies all the way down the top 10 were half and
half: five out of the top 10 stopped twice and the other five stopped once. Last year was a different
tyre nomination though: soft and supersoft.
With a semi-permanent track that is not used extensively during the year,
there’s a risk of graining. This occurs when a cold tyre that is not up to temperature slides
excessively against the track surface instead of finding grip, and causing an unusual pattern of wear. This
phenomenon is mostly seen at the start of the weekend when the track is at its most slippery, without any
rubber laid down.
Technical tyre notes:
One of the reasons why Canada is so demanding for the tyres is that the cars
tend to run low downforce to maximise their speed on the straights. This means that the
tyres are doing all the work when it comes to getting the car round the corners, putting the emphasis on
mechanical rather than aerodynamic grip.
The rear tyres are particularly challenged at Montreal, due to the heavy
traction demands out of slow corners and the hairpin. It’s very easy to produce wheelspin if drivers are
too eager on the throttle, which accentuates rear tyre wear. The track is also quite bumpy, which also
provokes wheelspin as the rear tyres break traction.
Adding to the punishment for the tyres in Canada are the kerbs: a well-known
feature of the track. The kerbs in Canada are high and aggressive, with the cars hitting them at
approximately 130kph through the final corner, close to the famous ‘wall of champions’.
Meet the Pirelli F1 Team:
Anna Playford – Formula One tyre engineer
Anna, from Chichester in the United Kingdom, is one of Pirelli’s 15-strong
squad of engineers that travel to every grand prix. This year, the team that
she has been assigned to is Williams. During grand prix weekends she acts as
the link between the team and Pirelli.
Her job at the track predominately consists of looking after the Pirelli
products and making sure that the tyres run within the parameters that have
been set. As well as monitoring tyre performance and characteristics in real
time, she analyses additional tyre-related data (such as pressures,
temperatures and wear). All this information is put into a daily report
presented to the team at their evening meetings. This report helps the team
make further decisions regarding their race strategy and set-up for the
following sessions.
Away from races, Anna is based at Pirelli’s technical hub in the UK, known
as the DTC (Didcot Technical Centre). While there, she continues to go
through data from the race weekend, producing reports for Pirelli HQ in
Milan as well as preparing for the upcoming events. Anna is also involved in
some R&D projects there, as well as the development of tools which enables
Pirelli to continuously upgrade the service that is provided to the teams.
Currently Anna is the only female engineer in the line-up, having been
inspired to get into Formula One through her father. She then studied
motorsport engineering at college, joining Pirelli in 2011.
Away from work, Anna enjoys spending time with family and friends – as well
as fitting in some essential shopping opportunities…
Other news from Pirelli:
The second round of the Blancpain Endurance Series, which is exclusively
equipped by Pirelli for race versions of roadgoing supercars, took place at
Silverstone the weekend before the Canadian Grand Prix. Darren Turner,
Frederic Makowiecki and Stefan Mucke dominated the race for Aston Martin and
clinched the victory in a Aston Martin V12 vantage
The second round of the British Rally Championship – another series
exclusively supplied by Pirelli – also took place last weekend at the Jim
Clark Rally in Scotland, named after the legendary Formula One World
Champion. Last year’s Pirelli UK Star Driver Jukka Korhonen won the event
with his co-driver Marko Salminen at the wheel of a Pirelli-equipped Citroen
DS3.
Pirelli recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of its close collaboration
with the Politecnico di Milano, the largest technical university in Italy,
by inviting a number of its students to a driver day at the Vizzola circuit
in northern Italy. As well as recruiting several graduates from the
university, Pirelli also undertakes some research projects jointly with the
Politecnico each year. |
