MEDIA INFORMATION Monaco, May 8, 2015 2014/215 FIA FORMULA E CHAMPIONSHIP Monaco ePrix
European Formula E action to begin for MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV tyres at Monaco
This weekend will see the Formula E Championship, the first all-electric racing series to be sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), visit Monaco, a location long associated with world class motorsport and an international showcase for ecology.
The Monaco ePrix is the seventh round of the inaugural Formula E Championship and the first to take place in Europe after earlier visits to Asia, South America and the United States. The Principality provides the perfect backdrop for the debut European appearance of Michelin’s Pilot Sport EV racing tyre which packs revolutionary technology.
“Monaco is highly committed to protecting the environment and to promoting sustainable mobility, so we are delighted to be hosting the first European round of the Formula E Championship,” says S.E.M. Bernard Fautrier, Plenipotentiary Minister for Energy and Sustainable Mobility, and Vice-President and CEO of the Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco. “We are particularly thrilled to see motorsport playing such a responsible role in the field of ecology and that its players, notably including Michelin, are showing their commitment to non-polluting, carbon-free mobility through the development of advanced new technologies.”
The MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV is an 18-inch tyre which has been developed specifically for the Formula E Championship. In addition to its outstanding longevity, its particularity is that it is capable of delivering high level performance in dry and wet conditions alike. Teams have to use the same four tyres on each car for practice, qualifying and the race, a ruling that is unique in the world of international class racing.
Monaco: a legendary track
The 1.76km circuit that has been designed for the Monaco ePrix features 12 turns. It uses the same start/finish straight and runs in the same direction as the Formula 1 grand prix. As in the F1 race, cars will start by heading for Sainte-Dévote but will then turn right down towards the harbour side before passing the famous Swimming Pool and Rascasse corners and completing the lap along Boulevard Albert 1er.
Says ex-Formula 1 driver and Trulli Racing Formula E team owner Jarno Trulli: “The track we will use is about half the length of the Formula 1 circuit. It was carefully designed and provides a superb location for the race. Some corners – like the Swimming Pool complex – promise to be quite tricky and the exit could be slippery. The two corners which feed into the main straight are particularly exhilarating and there are several places where overtaking will be possible.”
[email protected] MEDIA INFORMATION Monaco, May 8, 2015
The Italian’s enthusiasm is shared by Serge Grisin, Manager of Michelin Motorsport’s Formula E programme: “The track surface in Monaco is of a very high quality. The Monegasque authorities and the Automobile Club de Monaco have done an exemplary job in this area. That will make a big difference compared to the championship’s previous venues where the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV has had to cope with all manner of surface tyres, different temperatures, as well as specificities like thick painted road markings and tram lines. Depending on the weather on race day, we could face rain for the first time in the championship. If that’s the case, we will have a chance to evaluate the performance of our tyres in the wet.”
The revolutionary Michelin Pilot Sport EV
The MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV tyre, which was designed especially for the Formula E Championship, has a number of special features:
Size: the interior diameter of 18 inches is comparable with that used by many road cars and this promises to facilitate and speed up the carry-over of technology from the race track to the street. Formula E is the first FIA-sanctioned single-seater racing series to use tyres of this size.
Tread: like a road-going sports tyre, and even though it was designed for racing, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV features a tread pattern that allows it to race in all weather conditions.
Longevity: the cars are only authorised to use a single set of tyres for free practice, qualifying and the race itself. Permitted spares are carried over from the previous race to minimise the number of tyres that need to be made and shipped.