Pirelli opens its Pandora’s Box

TRP
Pirelli 2013 launch

While the fans were eagerly waiting for teams to unveil their cars for the 2013 season, there was one other launch they would have had their eyes on – that of the Formula One tyre suppliers Pirelli. If the memories of the first half of the 2012 season are still fresh with you, you’d know exactly what we mean here. And like last year, this season might as well see a race, amongst others, of fathoming the Pirellis and we fondly remember how that works out!

On 23rd January, Pirelli launched, as they put it, a ‘revolutionised’ new range of tyres for the upcoming season at Milan. The Italian manufacturer strongly insists that the tyres will offer fresh challenges to the teams in terms of finding the right set-up for the car. This is what Pirelli’s motor sport director Paul Hembery had to say – The 2013 season continues the philosophy adopted by Pirelli last year in evolving the original 2011 range of Formula One tyres. The goal is to continuously set new challenges for the drivers and to ensure that all the teams start the new season on a level playing field when it comes to the tyres. The manufacturer maintains that the aim is to enhance the performance in terms of speed and to increase thermal degradation that might ensure a minimum of two pit stops per car.

OVERVIEW OF THE TYRES

The basic tyre category remains the same, with four options for the dry weather tyres or ‘slicks’ and two wet weather tyres. Let’s delve into how they would be (or could be, because we don’t know yet, do we ?) different in 2013 –

The Slicks

P Zero™ Supersoft

The only one to go unchanged in 2012, this year the Supersoft, featuring a red band on the sidewall, is one that saw major upgrading, with a softer compound designed to increase performance as well as degradation. The compound is a low working range one that would suit smooth tarmac and would be ideally suited for slow and twisty tracks like Monaco. The warm-up will be faster so that the tyres can come up to temperature instantly and offer optimal performance and grip.

P Zero™ Soft

P Zero yellow Soft compound will have the most increased working range in 2013 – it will have a high working range suitable for a wide range of track conditions and might be the most used compound this year. It will be around half a second a lap slower than the supersoft this year, but it is softer than the P Zero Soft from last season. It offers higher traction with significant degradation and hence a shorter lifespan.

P Zero™ Medium

The P Zero white Medium tyre is a very versatile tyre option, given that it can adapt to a variety of track conditions, especially on tracks where tarmac and circuit characteristics vary around the lap. It will have a low working range ideally suited for less demanding circuits and lower ambient temperatures. It’s kind of in the league of last year’s P Zero Soft, which means it will be effectively 0.8 seconds faster per lap than the P Zero Hard tyre.

P Zero™ Hard

The P Zero Hard for 2013 comes with a marked difference from last year – at least visually – sporting an Orange band on the sidewall as opposed to the existing silver. It offers maximum durability in the most extreme conditions, making it an ideal choice for circuits with abrasive tarmac, scorching track temperatures and large lateral forces. It takes the maximum time to come up to temperature, but is well suited for long stints due to least degradation. This year’s compound will have a drastically higher working range from last year, almost in the range of P Zero Soft, while it is also softer – characteristically similar to the 2012 Medium compound.

The Wet-Weather Tyres

Cinturato™ Intermediate

The Cinturato green Intermediate compound is suited for light rain or damp or drying track conditions without compromising on pace. It has shallower grooves compared to the full wets, dispersing lesser water – around 20 litres per second. Although the tread pattern remains unchanged from 2012, it comes with a new rear construction, enhancing what is already Pirelli’s marquee product of sorts.

Cinturato™ Wet

The Cinturato blue Wet tyres or the full Wets have a more pronounced groove pattern with an ability to expel 60 litres of water per second at top speed, which is effectively six times higher than normal road cars. Similar to the Intermediates, the rear tyres have a new construction that is intended to offer higher traction and reduce snap over-steer( fancy name for the tendency of a mid-engine (rear mid-engine, rear drive layout) car such as the Formula One car to spin while cornering often quickly and dramatically) and the performance too has been more aligned to that of the intermediates.

The common feature is that the compounds have become softer, which promise enhanced performance and higher thermal degradation which should prompt teams to stop at least twice per race. Also, the compounds this year will have a much wider working range and will be easier to bring up to temperature; this would offer teams a variety of strategic options and car set-ups.

The structures have been enhanced – particularly of the rear tyres – with a new design idea and new materials – softer sidewalls and stronger, reinforced shoulders that would allow more contact with the track, leading to better performance and traction as well as higher degradation. Also, greater contact area ensures that the heat is evenly distributed across the tread width, with no localised heating or blistering.

In a nutshell, the compounds and the tyre structure have been designed with the aim of increasing the performance and degradation; to extend the performance gap between the compounds to 0.5 seconds mark; and for providing a stimulus to overtaking on the track. Last year, the first half of the season was like a dream for the fans and a nightmare for the teams, and we loved that, didn’t we? This time around, the expectations are higher, and the onus is on Pirelli to spice things up (though for Kimi, this idea is bull!).

Edited by Staff Editor