In the 1970s, Pirelli and the 124 Rally were at the forefront of rallying. Half a century later, the two Italian brands are celebrating their historic association at the Abarth Days in Milan, the biggest European gathering for fans of the marque.
Silverstone will host the 3 Hours of Silverstone this weekend, round two of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, exclusively supplied by Pirelli. This follows the opening round of the Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe, which took place 160km down the road at Brands Hatch last weekend. The Lamborghini Super Trofeo will feature too, and the entire grid will also run on Pirelli rubber.
A decade ago, around 20 per cent of Pirelli tyres were made according to the company’s Green Performance strategy – with new production systems, reduced environmental impact and low energy consumption. The tyre maker reports this figure reached 49.8 per cent of sales last year, up from 43.5 per cent in 2017. Green Performance tyres accounted for 57.5 per cent of Pirelli’s High Value product sales.
Acknowledging tyre growth in all-season tyres in the UK, Pirelli continues to recommend the use of winter tyres for its target performance car market, especially in extreme conditions. The manufacturer states that this position is reflected in its winter range, which includes both specialist and all-rounder products for the relevant segments.
Pirelli has celebrated a “real achievement” after its Cinturato P1 Verde 195/65R15 91V model took pole position in the ADAC summer tyre test. The tyre beat 15 competitors, including Pirelli’s premium brand rivals, with the Cinturato P1 Verde commended on its balance, performance in the wet, and low noise. ADAC added that “the Pirelli tyre stands out with good wear characteristics,” which the tyre manufacturer describes as a key priority in the highly-competitive “city car” sector.
Pirelli has unveiled its entire range of 2017 Formula One tyres in Abu Dhabi ahead of the final grand prix of the 2016 season. The new P Zero slicks have been presented in the Yas Marina paddock together with a first look at the new tread pattern for the Cinturato intermediate and wet tyres.
Despite the delays, the Brazilian grand prix became a “fantastic spectacle,” with plenty of overtaking and action on Pirelli’s wet range of Formula One tyres. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton finished first, completing the full race on the Cinturato Blue full wet tyre only following two days of largely dry running at Interlagos. Hamilton won without making a racing pit stop, though he did change tyres twice, going from full wets to another set of wets under both red flag stoppages.
Pirelli’s testing programme for its new wider P Zero Formula One tyres for 2017 has begun at Fiorano in Italy. Sebastian Vettel piloted a Ferrari SF15-T specifically modified to simulate the new aero rules and to accommodate tyres in 2017 size. The four-time world champion is testing on 1 August before handing the car over to Haas F1 driver Esteban Gutierrez on Tuesday 2 August.
Though the Monaco Grand Prix got underway behind a safety car in wet conditions, with all drivers starting on the Cinturato Blue full wet tyres, Lewis Hamilton won on Pirelli’s new P Zero Purple ultrasoft, marking a successful race debut for Pirelli’s newest F1 tyre. The safety car came in after seven laps, with most drivers eventually switching to intermediates. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton was one of just two competitors to stay out on the full wets as the circuit dried, switching straight to P Zero Purple ultrasoft on lap 31.
Pirelli has reported its latest original equipment success. Following on from last month’s news that the Pirelli P Zero and Scorpion Winter will be supplied to the BMW X5 M and X6 M, the tyre maker shares that a number of tyre models and sizes have been approved as OE fitments for the new BMW 7 Series G11/G12.
Auto Express has named the Nokian Weatherproof as its number one all-season car tyre in its survey of the segment. Testing a modest six tyres at Nokian’s test centre in Ivalo, Finland for winter conditions and at Contidrom, Germany for summer conditions, the test was a first for the magazine, highlighting the growth trend Tyrepress.com has noted in the UK market for such products. The Nokian Weatherproof was declared the test winner, and an Auto Express ‘Best Buy’, perhaps unsurprisingly sweeping away the competition in the winter tests (the winter rubber specialist uses Test World to test its tyres). The test’s most notable omission is Michelin’s self-professed “game-changer”, the 2015 launched CrossClimate. The French manufacturer has responded hawkishly to references to the new product as an all-season tyre despite its year-round applicability, though tyre test coordinator Kim Adams noted that its March 2015 launch was “just too late” for the tyre to be included.
Launched internationally in Sicily at the beginning of 2015, Pirelli hosted a local UK market event to mark the introduction of its Cinturato All Season tyre at the Tamworth Snowdome. Closed to the public, the Snowdome’s indoor ski slope provided an excellent illustration of the increased mobility offered by the tyre; it allowed the demonstration Vauxhall Astra to ascend the steep inclines, which were rendered completely unmanageable when equipped with summer tyres. Meanwhile, Pirelli used warm outside conditions to demonstrate the tyre in dry and wet manoeuvres, particularly emphasising safety with a wet brake and swerve workshop.
An endurance test carried out by Italian motoring magazine Quattroruote has placed the effectiveness of Pirelli’s ‘Seal Inside’ technology under the magnifying glass. A vehicle fitted with set of tyres featuring the self-sealing material, one containing a 4mm thick nail and a self-tapping screw, was driven at speed for several hours. At the end of the test, the evaluation team detected only a very slight loss in air pressure.
Pirelli’s Cinturato P7 Blue has won the summer tyre test conducted by Russia’s Za Rulem magazine. Meaning ‘Behind the Wheels,’ the magazine is a popular monthly publication in Russia focussing on cars and the automotive industry.
The latest AA passenger car tyre has arrived, with eight sizes of Goodyear’s EfficientGrip Performance meeting the wet grip and rolling resistance criteria. The brand is now providing one of the largest number of tyre sizes sporting AA EU tyre label grades on the market. The new sizes complement an already extensive BA rated offering from Goodyear on the market today, with 53 EfficientGrip Performance sizes rated BA.
