Silverstone [United Rubber (PVT) Ltd.]
A major change to Formula 1 for the 2022 season will be the introduction of 18-inch tyres after half a century of wide sidewall tyres sitting on 13-inch rims. Pirelli is presenting the new tyres at Silverstone today and comments that “now it’s time to change to a more modern approach” with a dimension actually seen on today’s road cars.
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.
Toyo Tire Corporation is closing its loss-making wholly-owned Silverstone Berhad Malaysian tyre manufacturing subsidiary in June 2021. Established on 12 July 1986 and purchased by Toyo in 2011, Silverstone currently manufactures tyres for (primarily Malaysian) new vehicles and Silverstone branded tyres for the aftermarket as well as certain Toyo branded tyres. The dissolution of the Silverstone subsidiary (Silverstone Berhad) will commence by 31 December 2021.
The UK’s premier GT racing series concludes with a three-hour race at the home of British motorsport this weekend. With all four class titles up for grabs, and a full grid of 38 cars, tyre supplier Pirelli will play a crucial role. Pirelli will supply the P Zero DHE to GT3 and the P Zero DHB to GT4, as well as the Cinturato WH for wet weather. In the GTC class, the Porsches will use DHD2 on the front with DHE on the rear, and the Ferrari 488 Challenge will use bespoke fitment DH tyres for this car. Jonathan Wells, Pirelli UK motorsport manager, said that Silverstone would provide a good test for tyres, as “the most aggressive circuit on this year’s calendar, with extreme levels of lateral demand on the tyres and high top-speeds.”
Pirelli’s Stella Bianca – which translate’s as “White Star” – is synonymous with the golden age of motor racing. In 1950, Giuseppe Farina won the first race of the first Formula 1 Championship in his Alfa Romeo fitted with the tyre. The replica tyre returned to Silverstone this year to mark the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, complete with a little white star on the sidewall: a motif shared with the road-going tyres that carried the same name. The Pirelli Stella Bianca will now enjoy a permanent place in Silverstone history, as the F1 tyre supplier donated the tyre to the new Silverstone Experience museum.
Pirelli will supply Formula 1 with two different tyre specifications in the Formula 1 Silverstone double-header. The British Grand Prix this weekend, which is the second event of the year to be sponsored by Pirelli, will have the C1 compound as P Zero White hard, C2 as P Zero Yellow medium, and C3 as P Zero Red soft. The 70th Anniversary Grand Prix one week later will be one-step softer: so C2 as the hard, C3 as the medium and C4 as the soft. This creates Formula 1 history: the first time ever that there has been two different tyre nominations for a double-header at the same venue.
Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli has confirmed the compound choices for the first eight 2020 grands prix. Pirelli has made two interesting decisions in this list. First, the softest C5 compound will not feature, a fact most probably informed by the lack of a street circuit in the current calendar. Secondly, the Silverstone double-header on 2 and 9 August will get two different sets of compounds, with C1-3 at the first grand prix, and C2-4 at the second. This will provide an interesting comparison for fans, and gives the tyre manufacturer another chance to discuss the effects different tyre compounds can have on F1 racing.
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.
Although active within North America, including as exclusive tyre supplier to NASCAR’s top three series, the Goodyear name has long played second fiddle in motorsport to Dunlop in other parts of the world. This will change on Sunday, with the brand’s return to global motorsport at Silverstone. Goodyear says that after 12,000 kilometres of testing at seven circuits, it is “well prepared” for its comeback.
Japanese tyre manufacturer, Yokohama, returns to the Silverstone Classic for its second year as the official tyre partner. Over 100,000 people are expected to attend the motorsport and classic car event from 26–28 July.
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.
Melksham Motor Spares will appear at Silverstone on 5 May, exhibiting at Japfest 2019, Europe’s biggest Japanese car show. More than 4,000 of Europe’s best Japanese cars from the UK’s thriving club scene will appear at the event, alongside drifting displays and a retail village. The independent automotive parts distributor will seek to raise brand awareness at the event.
Formula Student, a student engineering competition organised by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, will see more than 3000 participants from over 25 countries take part in the event which returns to Silverstone this July. Formula Student challenges university teams from across the world to design and build a single seater car which they drive in a series of races over three days on the renowned Silverstone track.
Giti Tire is follow the season in which it achieved its first podium finish, taking third place at Holland’s Circuit Zandvoort, by continuing its close involvement in the VW Fun Cup. It will mark its fourth year as official tyre partner in 2019. There are eight endurance races scheduled for 2019, lasting from three to eight hours with two to four drivers. Giti will also run its fully livered GT Radial car.
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