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TYRES ON THE
TRACK
* The Red Bull Ring in Austria is a short and sharp rollercoaster with just
10 corners and constant elevation changes. Pirelli brings the three softest
tyres in the range: C3 as the P Zero White hard, C4 as the P Zero Yellow
medium, and C5 as the P Zero Red soft.
* Last year there were two races at the Red Bull Ring held back-to-back:
this weekend is the same tyre nomination as the second race there, designed
to help put on a show by increasing degradation and creating more overtaking
opportunities. On that occasion, the winning strategy was a two-stopper: one
opening stint on the medium, followed by two hard tyre stints. Of course,
the compounds and structures are different this year.
* Austria is also home to the second sprint weekend of the season, after
Imola. As a reminder, rather than having 13 sets of tyres for a conventional
weekend, there will be just 12 sets. These consist of two sets of hard, four
sets of medium, and six sets of soft. In addition, the teams will have up to
six sets of Cinturato Green intermediates and three sets of Cinturato Blue
full wets available in case of wet weather – which is very possible in the
Styrian hills.
* Alpine, McLaren, Red Bull and Williams will stay on after the Austrian
Grand Prix as part of Pirelli’s testing programme for next year’s tyres.
McLaren and Williams will test for two days, with the other two teams
putting in one day each. |
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MARIO ISOLA - HEAD OF CAR
RACING
“The asphalt at the Red Bull Ring offers reasonably low grip on a
low-severity circuit, which makes it possible to bring the softest tyres in
the range. This helps us in putting the focus on entertainment, at a venue
that has often delivered exciting races in the past, thanks to a busy and
compact lap that’s essentially a series of short corners. Traction and
especially braking are key here: with a particular risk of lock-ups in some
of the tricky downhill braking areas. Maintaining the performance of the
rear tyres throughout the lap is also vital to ensure adequate traction. Our
tyre nomination makes a variety of different potential strategies possible.”
OTHER PIRELLI NEWS
GT
The Pirelli social media community was involved in creating a special
commemorative helmet for multiple bike champion Valentino Rossi, decorated
with messages from fans. Pirelli’s Motorsport Director Mario Isola was
delighted to present Rossi with the helmet at Misano in Italy recently to
mark ‘The Doctor’s’ switch to GT racing.
Rallying
The Rally Liepaja in Latvia, round five of the European Rally Championship,
took place on gravel last weekend with former Pirelli Star Driver Hayden
Paddon being one of the highlights of the entry list. The rally was won by
local driver Martins Sesks. |
