The World Motor Sport Council convened during the 2021 FIA Conference on 8 July, and amongst the decisions reached was approval for the introduction of the new rear tyre specification that Pirelli had tested during free practice at the Austrian Grand Prix on 2 July. Pirelli will thus bring the new tyres to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone this coming weekend.
Formula 1’s exclusive tyre supplier Pirelli has concluded its initial analysis on a number of tyres run at the British Grand Prix. The tyre supplier said it has identified the cause of the tyre failures on both Mercedes and the McLaren of Carlos Sainz in Sunday’s race. A combination of the long stints the P Zero White (C1) was forced to complete and the “biggest forces” on F1 tyres ever meant the tyres were “placed under maximum stress” for a long period. The resultant wear on the tyres meant that the tyres were less protected from the extreme forces by the end of the race. While Pirelli plans to continue with its plan to supply softer compounds at the second Silverstone meeting, it said it would review the usage prescription for its F1 tyres, increasing the minimum tyre pressures to reduce structural stress.
Lewis Hamilton’s seventh win at Silverstone’s British Grand Prix came in dramatic circumstances after a last-lap tyre failure. The Mercedes driver was able to limp home with Max Verstappen’s Red Bull bearing down on him in a denouement filled with more tension than the rest of the race combined. Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas had suffered a tyre failure with two laps to go, preventing a predictable and regulation 1-2 finish for the team, and leaving the Finn without a point despite his team’s domination of the weekend. Tyre supplier Pirelli is conducting a full examination on what led to the tyres’ failure – McLaren’s Carlos Sainz also experienced final lap tyre issues. Initial assessments point to the lengthy stints completed on the P Zero White (C1 compound) tyre, and debris on the track after two early crashes. Tyre strategy was largely dictated by the second crash on lap 12, as many drivers opted to change early to the harder tyre during the safety car period begun.
Formula 1 and Silverstone have reached an agreement in principle for the circuit to host two grands prix behind closed doors this summer. The races will need to get UK government approval to go ahead. In a message distributed on Twitter, Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle said: “I am delighted to confirm that Silverstone and Formula 1 have reached an agreement in principle to host two races behind closed doors this summer.
The decision on whether Silverstone will host Formula 1 at all in 2020 is “still weeks away” according to the circuit’s managing director Stuart Pringle. However, Pringle has been able to confirm the news that should the circuit host one of exclusive tyre supplier Pirelli’s “home events” at all, it will be “behind closed doors”. Formula 1 is hoping to fulfil much of its planned 2020 calendar with an ambitious revised itinerary after racing was dramatically suspended at the eleventh hour in Melbourne, Australia. Plans current at the time of printing would see racing begin in Austria on 3-5 July, which could provide a “blueprint” for future events, with visits to European, Asian, American, and finally Middle Eastern venues making up a season of between 15 and 18 grands prix, according to F1 CEO Chase Carey.
An analysis of the tyre that caused problems for Kimi Raikkonen in the British Grand Prix has found “no issues connected with the tyre itself nor with its use,” shares Pirelli. A close inspection of the soft compound tyre fitted to the front left wheel of Raikkonen’s Ferrari revealed specific damage in two places at the edge of the belt close to the internal shoulder area, however no damage was found in any other area of the tyre, and no signs of fatigue were evident in the belt and structure.
Pirelli Tyre is looking at the issues that Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen experienced with their front-left tyres during yesterday’s British Grand Prix race, however the tyre maker believes the two tyre failures are unrelated.
Formula One comes to the UK this weekend with the British Grand Prix, and Pirelli has opted to bring softer tyres to Silverstone than originally planned. During this halfway-point round in the 2017 F1 calendar, teams will work with the P Zero White medium, P Zero Yellow soft and P Zero Red supersoft tyres rather than the hard, medium and soft tyres initially nominated. Pirelli comments that the decision to focus on the softer end of the compound spectrum was taken after examining information gained from previous races. This will be the first time the supersoft compound has taken to the track at the British Grand Prix.
Pirelli
Glenn Dunbar / LAT Images
Pirelli
Pirelli