Getting To Grips With Pirelli

The departure of Bridgestone after 14 years in the sport ushers in a new era as Pirelli takes on the mantle of sole tyre supplier for all 12 teams in the pit lane, returning to Formula 1 for the first time since 1991.

The tyre regulations for the 2011 season are largely unaltered from those of 2010, to provide the teams with technical stability. Unless it is a wet race, teams must use two of the four dry compounds (supersoft, soft, medium, hard) at every event. Pirelli will decide in advance which two of the compounds it will bring to each race – for example, hard and soft.

One of the two compounds will be theoretically better suited to the circuit and the likely conditions, and this is known as the prime tyre. The regulations state though that at some point during the race the teams will all have to use the other tyre as well: this is known as the option tyre – even though it is compulsory to use it. The tyres will be visibly distinguishable from each other with different colours of Pirelli branding so that people can see instantly which compound is which.

The art of tyre strategy lies in working out when is the best time to use each tyre out of the allocation that every team is given. In total, each car has 11 sets of dry tyres available over the weekend – but there are strict rules governing their use.

After arriving at the circuit, drivers will receive three sets of tyres (two prime, one option) for the two free practice sessions on Friday. They must return one set of the prime specification after first practice, and the remaining two sets of prime and option after the second practice. This is to encourage drivers to complete mileage during practice, rather than saving up tyres for later in the weekend. It's a case of use it or lose it.

They are then given a further eight sets of tyres (four of each nominated compound) to use for the rest of the weekend, but one set of each specification must be handed back after Saturday morning practice, leaving the drivers with three sets of each compound for qualifying and the race.

Fast facts about 2011 tyres:

- The dry tyres have a diameter of 660 millimetres. The tread is 245 millimetres wide at the front and 325 millimetres wide at the back.

- The wet tyres have a bigger diameter of 670 millimetres, to raise the car and avoid standing water. The tread is 225 millimetres wide at the front and 325 millimetres wide at the back.

- The diameter of the intermediate tyre is slightly smaller at 665 millimetres, although the same tread widths as the wet tyre apply.

- A wet Pirelli tyre will disperse more than 60 litres of water per second when travelling at 300kph.

- Pirelli will produce 50,000 Formula 1 tyres over the course of the season, bringing around 1,800 tyres to every race.

- All the tyres are made in Pirelli's state of the art motorsport facility at Izmit, Turkey, just outside Istanbul.

- At races, Pirelli will use 15 trucks and employ around 50 people, including one engineer allocated to every team.

- Each front tyre weighs around nine kilograms. The rears, being larger, are a little heavier.

- The operating temperature of each tyre is in the region of 90 degrees Celsius. The harder the tyre compound, the longer it takes to reach peak operating temperature.

- Pirelli has completed 18,000 kilometres of private testing up to now (15,000 km in the dry and 3,000km in wet conditions.)

Q&A with Paul Hembery

Pirelli's Motorsport Director talks about the challenge of developing a brand new range of F1 tyres and how Pirelli can add to the spectacle of Formula 1.

What is the starting point for developing a new range of tyres?

PH: There's a logical process that you have to go through. You start off by defining the profile, which is the basic starting point, and then you work on the compounds and constructions. After extensive modelling and computer analysis, we find the best theoretical solutions and then confirm the results in practice by testing on a circuit. There are a huge number of different parameters to consider, but essentially you have to balance performance, durability and driveability in a very wide variety of conditions.

How different will the 2011 tyres be compared to the tyres that preceded them?

PH: The tyre regulations for 2011 are largely the same as last year, in order to provide the teams with technical stability. Having said that, our tyres have a distinct Pirelli identity with different characteristics to those of the previous supplier. We've aimed to produce a tyre that will please both drivers and spectators this year, with the objective of helping to improve everybody's enjoyment and appreciation of Formula 1 throughout the season.

How challenging is it working with 12 new teams?

PH: Working with 12 new teams is not a problem at all, but the challenge lies in working with 12 different chassis, which all have their own individual characteristics. Many motorsport championships have a single-make formula, which is obviously a much easier scenario than a championship where everyone is using different solutions to try and gain a competitive advantage. Our job is to make our tyres work well on all these different cars.

All the teams have agreed to run a similar weight distribution; has this made things easier for Pirelli?

PH: I think it's probably made things easier for the teams rather than for Pirelli, as it removes another variable for them. But it probably helps us to help them, although weight distribution is only one factor in the complex equation that makes all the cars quite different.

Can Pirelli tyres add to the excitement of Formula 1?

PH: That's a priority for us, although obviously to start off with we have a certain learning curve to climb. As time goes on, we will be in a stronger position to influence the spectacle. The future of Formula 1 depends on it being an exciting sport that people want to watch, and we believe that we can do a lot to help. We're aiming to make the steps between the compounds quite notable, in order to promote interesting tyre strategies, and of course we have the option to adjust the amount of grip if this is what people want. We're always open to every opinion, and happy to propose a variety of different solutions aimed specifically at enhancing the show.

How does Pirelli see the future of Formula 1?

PH: We're very excited about the future, as it's a fantastic opportunity for both car and tyre manufacturers to explore areas of technology that will ultimately benefit all of us as everyday road users. We want to play an active role in shaping the future development of the sport and enhancing the spectacle of Formula 1 for the public. We're committed to working closely with all of the teams in order to come up with the most relevant products to today's market.