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WHY WE’VE CHOSEN THE TYRES
* Seven years after Formula 1 last raced at the Nürburgring in 2013, the
legendary German venue is back for the Eifel Grand Prix. Pirelli will bring
the three compounds right in the middle of its Formula 1 range: C2 as the P
Zero White hard, C3 as the P Zero Yellow medium, and C4 as the P Zero Red
soft.
* It’s been so long since the last race there that the Nürburgring can
almost be considered as a new venue, with the latest generation of hybrid
turbo F1 cars never having driven there. Nonetheless, teams and drivers
probably have some idea of what to expect from the past (or from their
experiences in other championships) – although the 2013 Nürburgring race was
held in July. Consequently, the whole process of data collection during free
practice on Friday will start from scratch, on a blank sheet of paper.
* With a wide range of corners and no recent information about Formula 1
cars on this track at this time of year, Pirelli has opted to bring tyres
that cover the middle ground, to deal with a wide variety of circumstances.
* Previous experience has shown that the Nürburgring isn’t particularly
demanding on tyres: another reason for the tyre usage to be biased towards
the soft end of the scale. |
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TRACK CHARACTERISTICS
* The weather is set to be the biggest talking point at this time of year,
with rain quite likely and low temperatures also very possible. The recent
Nürburgring 24 Hours was neutralised for more than nine hours as a result of
torrential rain, so there’s a strong chance of seeing the Cinturato
wet-weather tyres at some point during the F1 weekend. The frequent rain in
the Eifel region also means that the track surface is often ‘green’ and
slippery, as any rubber that gets laid down is often washed away.
* There are some quite aggressive kerbs on the chicanes (particularly at the
NGK one) that encourage the drivers to take a clean line.
* The Nürburgring is generally a balanced circuit, with a roughly equal mix
of lateral and longitudinal forces acting on the car.
* The hairpin Turn 7 is particularly tricky: there is a big deceleration
heading into it and the front-left tyre has to do a lot of work to
compensate for the unusual camber of the corner.
* Cold weather below 10 degrees centigrade ambient can potentially cause
‘cold cracks’ in the tyres, which means that they need to be carefully
looked after while being fitted in the fitting area and then stored by the
teams. |
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MARIO ISOLA - HEAD OF CAR
RACING
The Nürburgring is practically an all-new venue for us, so we'll be treating
it as if we are coming there for the first time in Formula 1, although of
course we remember it well and we have raced there many times in other
championships. In order to ensure we have everything covered, we’re bringing
the three tyres in the middle of our range, which are also well-suited to
the varied demands of this track. Probably the biggest factor will be the
weather, with low temperatures and rain quite likely at this time of year.
As a result, the teams might have to deal with some quite unusual
circumstances, on a track that they aren’t particularly familiar with. So
this is a race that is likely to favour drivers and teams who are able to
get to grips with new situations quickly. I think it’s fair to say that
we’re set for a race with many variables, where we may even see all five
types of tyre that we bring to the grand prix used over the course of the
weekend."
OTHER PIRELLI NEWS
* Pirelli’s home World Rally Championship event – Rally Italia Sardegna –
takes place during the same weekend as the Eifel Grand Prix. The Italian
firm is using this rally to showcase the new range of tyres that it will
supply to the championship from next year. In a unique display, 2003 World *
Rally Champion Petter Solberg will drive Pirelli’s Citroen C3 WRC test car
on the rally-ending Power Stage – co-driven by Pirelli’s test driver Andreas
Mikkelsen.
* The Indianapolis 8 Hours – the latest round of the Intercontinental GT
Challenge Powered by Pirelli – took place last weekend at the legendary
American venue, won by Walkenhorst Motorsport driving a BMW M6 GT3.
* The Eifel Grand Prix will be the first race weekend this year without
Formula 2 or Formula 3. With fewer support races, less rubber is laid on the
track: which has an effect on overall track evolution. |
