As Pirelli awaits the June 20th FIA tribunal investigation into what penalties they (and the AMG Mercedes team) may face following their recent “private” tyre test, the Milanese based manufacturer has now announced the compounds they will supply teams for the next three Grand Prix’s.
For the British Grand Prix the P Zero Orange hard and P Zero White medium tyres have been nominated: the two hardest tyres in Pirelli’s range, which they feel will be best suited to the high-energy demands of the Silverstone circuit.
In Germany the P Zero White medium and P Zero Yellow soft have been selected. The Nürburgring is a circuit with varied speeds and corners, plus heavy braking areas. The tarmac roughness is very low, so plenty of mechanical grip from the tyres is required. Combined with the often very variable weather conditions, Pirelli say this makes the soft and medium compounds the best choice for the German track.
For the Hungarian Grand Prix the P Zero Orange hard and P Zero White medium compounds have been chosen. Pirelli note that the Hungaroring, although being the slowest permanent track on the calendar, still places a lot of demands on the tyres due to its twisty layout, meaning the tyres move around much more than on a fast and flowing circuit. This they say, combined with often high ambient temperatures make the hard and medium compounds the best choice for this track, given that this year’s compounds are softer than last year’s range across the board.
In making their announcement, Pirelli also confirmed their tyre construction “will now remain unchanged,” contrary to their previously stated plans. The reason for this change they say is two-fold; firstly the new tyres which they brought to Montreal for teams to test in Friday’s free practice sessions could not be tested properly due to the wet conditions.
Secondly, and this is where one can sense Pirelli’s frustration with the sport, they note “the teams failed to agree unanimously about introducing the changes.” So, as the tyre construction will remain unchanged, Pirelli state “a change in the tyre production process should now ensure that the delamination issue has been addressed.” By James Foreman
