2011 Canadian Grand Prix

2011 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX

PIRELLI’S PZERO RED SUPERSOFT BACK IN ACTION

Milan, June 6th 2011

WHAT’S THE STORY?

Pirelli’s new supersoft tyre made a thrilling debut in Monaco and now the same two nominations return for the Canadian Grand Prix: the PZero Red supersoft tyre and the harder PZero Yellow tyre. Like Monaco, Canada is a semi-permanent facility but the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is faster with a low-grip surface: two parameters that have a far-reaching effect on tyre wear. There are also areas of heavy braking and maximum traction, which are also important parameters when it comes to tyre behaviour. Consequently long stints of more than 50 laps on the PZero tyres, as seen in Monaco, are unlikely and instead there will be a return to wheel-to-wheel sprint racing. Tyre wear is a critical factor at the Montreal circuit, traditionally making Canada one of the most entertaining races of the year. Since its inauguration in 1978, the track has undergone a number of changes, notably some resurfacing before last year’s grand prix and the addition of some new and higher kerbs in 2005: both of which influence the way that the tyres behave. With the track hosting only two major races per season – Formula One and NASCAR – there is a marked evolution in terms of grip over the course of the weekend as more rubber gets laid down on the surface. On Friday, drivers will be given two additional sets of Pirelli’s new medium compound slicks to evaluate for the future during the two free practice sessions.

PIRELLI’S MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR SAYS:

Paul Hembery: “Monaco was a fantastic race, with three drivers battling closely for the win even though they were using three very different strategies. From the data we can see that Sebastian Vettel’s tyres would have gone the distance if he had continued to drive on them in the same way that he had been doing up to the red flag period. This means that he could have covered 62 laps, the equivalent of more than 200 kilometres, on the PZero Yellow soft tyre, with an extremely close finish. The characteristics of Canada mean that we’re unlikely to see a one-stop strategy this weekend, but we’re hoping that the racing will be just as close and that the opportunities for overtaking will give teams even more possibilities than Monaco in terms of race strategy. The pure performance of the PZero tyres was demonstrated by the fact that we were able to set the fastest-ever qualifying lap of Monaco, adding to our record of success, which now includes more than 50 grand prix wins throughout our time in Formula One.”

THE MEN BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL SAY:

Rubens Barrichello (Williams): “The Montreal circuit can be hard on tyres because the cars run on low downforce and the tarmac is quite low grip. The track has some change of direction, is very hard on brakes and has two hairpins that make good traction very important. Turn One, for example, is a corner that you carry a lot of speed into and then you brake hard into the hairpin in first gear. The minimum speed is low but traction is hard on tyres. There are a lot of hard braking areas throughout the lap. I love the circuit and racing there is always good. I look forward to racing on the Pirelli PZero tyres in Canada.”

TECHNICAL NOTES AND TYRE CHOICES SO FAR:

* Canada is one of the most complex tracks of the year to predict due to its wide variety of grip levels and inconsistent surfaces. This results in a high and sometimes uneven amount of tyre wear, putting the accent firmly on durability and strategy.

* Michael Schumacher has dominated the Canadian Grand Prix in the past, winning seven races in Montreal. The next most successful driver in Canada who is currently competing is Lewis Hamilton, with two wins. It was also where the McLaren driver took his first pole and first win.

* Last year there were 61 pit stops in Canada, working out at an average of 2.5 per car.

THE TYRE CHOICES SO FAR:

PZero Red PZero Yellow PZero White PZero Silver Australia Soft Hard Malaysia Soft Hard China Soft Hard Turkey Soft Hard Spain Soft Hard Monaco Super Soft Soft Canada Super Soft Soft

PIRELLI IN CANADA:

* Pirelli has been present in Canada for a number of years, but the Italian company only has one manufacturing facility in North America. Appropriately enough this is in Rome – but Rome, Georgia.

* Pirelli won the Canadian Grand Prix in 1991 with Nelson Piquet in a Benetton-Ford, from eighth on the grid. It was the Italian company’s last win in its previous era of Formula One and Piquet’s second victory with Pirelli.

* Due to the cold winters in the Quebec region (where the grand prix is held) in particular, some of Pirelli’s best-selling tyres in Canada include the Sottozero range. These include the Winter Carving Edge, a studdable tyre for Canada that was developed and tested in the Arctic for maximum control and stability.

THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX FROM A TYRE POINT OF VIEW

Montreal, June 9th 2011 – Just like Monaco, Pirelli brings the PZero Yellow soft tyre and PZero Red supersoft tyre to Montreal, one of the most demanding circuits of the year on tyres. We find out why…

THE TRACK

Unlike Monaco, Canada is not entirely a street circuit because as well as the normal streets on the man-made island in the St Lawrence river, there is also section of permanent track that is open only for the purpose of racing. The total lap length is 4.361 kilometres, repeated 70 times for the grand prix, on a circuit that consists of extremely smooth asphalt offering variable levels of grip.

There are six major braking points (making the track the most demanding of the year on brakes) combined with three chicanes and four high-speed corners.

The tight section in the middle of the track is characterized by two chicanes, a double braking area, and some rapid changes in direction – all in the space of less than 700 metres. These extreme stresses raise the tread temperature of the tyres by 20 degrees in just 15 seconds, with a peak temperature exceeding 110° degrees centigrade.

One of the most demanding areas of the entire lap for the car, driver and tyres is the long hairpin bend where the cars scrub off 230 kph during the approach – down from 290kph to just 60kph – in less than three seconds over the space of only 130 meters. These parameters combine to produce a vertical pressure of 1100 kilograms on the front tyres. Entering this corner is one of the prime spots for overtaking.

The Montreal circuit is also known for its variations in surface and nowhere is this more evident than in the pitlane. The track surface there consists of one section of asphalt and one of concrete, each of which provide a different coefficient of friction, which naturally affects the amount of rubber laid down and grip. The adaptability of the PZero compounds is designed to ensure a consistent performance over a wide variety of surfaces.

THE STRATEGY

Getting the race strategy right has become more important than ever with the latest generation of Formula One tyres. While the strategy depends on a number of different factors, the most important question for teams to decide is during which point of the race they wish to be fastest.

Opting for the quickest tyre – which usually corresponds to the softest available compound – at the start of the race will enable drivers to make a quick getaway and pull out an early advantage: but this may come at the price of being overtaken by drivers who are on the quicker tyre during the middle and final stints of a race.

Conversely, drivers who start on the harder tyre may be able to jump (or ‘undercut’) their rivals at the first pit stops in order to gain track position, but they will come under a lot of pressure during the early phases of the race due to their rivals making the most of the faster tyres.

At the first round of pit stops, there is another crucial decision to be made: should the driver move onto a different type of tyre to the one on which he started or duplicate his original choice? Going onto a different choice creates more flexibility in the strategy, as the rules state that you have to use each nomination at least once. If, by contrast, you duplicate the choice with which you started then you have to make one more stop.

Teams use complex computer programmes to simulate their race speeds using different strategies, but one thing that these systems cannot take into account is the strategies that other people are adopting and the likelihood of being blocked, either by slower competitors, the nature of the circuit, or racing incidents such as accidents and safety cars.

Teams study the likelihood of such occurrences carefully (Canada, for example, has a 67% probability of a safety car appearance) and these have a major influence on the strategy. The weather is also a big factor, as the arrival of rain often sends most strategies out of the window.

How easy the track is to overtake on forms an integral part of the strategy, and unlike Monaco, Canada presents a number of passing opportunities, which means that the teams can afford to use a more adventurous strategy if it suits them, as opposed to Monaco, where the lack of passing places tends to lead to more conservative strategies.

Ultimately, the key ingredient to every strategy is flexibility. The teams with the most reactive tacticians often score the top results, as they are able to respond in real time to unforeseen events and the initiatives from their rivals. With Pirelli’s new range of PZero tyres providing another exciting but changeable element to the races this year, speed of reaction is more vital than ever.

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For further information please contact:

Alexandra Schieren +33 607 03 69 03 [email protected] Anthony Peacock +44 7765 896 930 [email protected] ** Francescopaolo Tarallo +39 334 684 4307 [email protected] (Head of Product and Motorsport Communications)

Pirelli Tyre Press Office Ph. +39 02 6442 4270 – [email protected] – www.pirelli.com