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Austrian Grand Prix Preview: Red Bull Ring, June 18-21, 2015
SOFT AND SUPERSOFT FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE RACE:
RED BULL RING OFFERS LOW GRIP, TEAMS RUN HIGH DOWNFORCE
TYRE DEMANDS ON THE AUSTRIAN CIRCUIT ARE CONTAINED: A TWO-STOPPER
WAS WINNING 2014 STRATEGY IN HOT CONDITIONS
SMALL PERFORMANCE GAP BETWEEN THE TWO COMPOUNDS
SHOULD LEAD TO STRATEGY VARIATIONS
Milan, June 15, 2015 – For the third race in succession, the P Zero Yellow soft and P Zero Red
supersoft tyres have been nominated. The demands on the tyres are relatively low, with two straights
and reasonably slow corners. The Austrian Grand Prix reappeared on the Formula One calendar for
the first time in 11 seasons last year, meaning that the teams will now be able to use the data from
2014 when it comes to formulating the optimal strategy. After the Austrian Grand Prix, the final twoday in-season test of the year will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director: “Austria ends the run of soft and supersoft nominations
that we see towards the middle of the season, on quite a diverse variety of tracks. The tyre strategy
will depend on some extent to the weather: if it is warm we are more likely to see two stops, whereas
if it’s cool the balance might shift towards a one-stopper. Rain is also a distinct possibility in Styria at
this time of year, as we saw during free practice last season, so the teams will basically have to be
prepared for everything. This year, the drivers head to the Red Bull Ring with real data about the track
for the first time, which will help them find the most efficient way to use the tyres. Obviously our aim is
always to have between two and three stops at every race, so this is something that we will monitor
carefully in future when it comes to nominations: we do have the possibility to make some minor
changes if required. We’re only expecting a small time gap between the two compounds in Austria, so
this opens up a number of different possibilities as to how to run the race strategy.”
The biggest challenges for the tyres:
The surface at the Red Bull Ring is low grip and low abrasion, with the track getting progressively
quicker as the weekend goes on. Even though the asphalt is new, the track is quite bumpy in places,
which makes it difficult to find consistent grip.
Gaining traction out of the corners is a particularly important aspect of the Red Bull Ring, as there are
a number of slow corners leading onto faster straights. A neat approach to finding the apex, in order
to get onto the power afterwards as quickly as possible without spinning the wheels, is vital to
maximise tyre life.
The supersoft tyre is a low working range compound, capable of achieving optimal performance even
at low temperatures. The soft tyre is a high working range compound, suitable for higher temperatures
and more strenuous track conditions. Both warm and cool conditions are possible in Austria.
The Spielberg circuit runs in a clockwise direction, but there are two very significant corners (turns 5
and 6) that place considerable stress on the tyres on the right-hand side of the car.
The F1 FORMULA 1 logo, F1, FORMULA 1, FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, GRAND PRIX
and related marks are trade marks of Formula One Licensing BV, a Formula One group company. All rights reserved
Last year’s strategy and how the race was won: Most drivers did a two-stopper last year, although
three managed a one-stop. Race winner Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) started on the supersoft, changed
to the soft on lap 11, then to the soft again on lap 40. His strategy allowed him to win even though he
started from third on the grid.
Expected performance gap between the two compounds: 0.7 - 0.9 seconds per lap.
The Pirelli team choose their race numbers: #9, Luigi de Candia (Information Technology)
“I don’t think I have much in common with Marcus Ericsson, but I would still choose number 9. It’s the
number I played football with when I was younger, and I’ve always liked it ever since.”
Who we’re following on Twitter this week: @ayrtonsenna. The three-time champion has been
gone for more than 20 years – but he still has an official Twitter account. As well as news about the
Ayrton Senna foundation, this is a remarkable online resource for Senna videos and photographs:
many of which are extremely rare.
The tyre choices so far this year:
P Zero Red
Australia
Malaysia
China
Bahrain
Spain
Monaco
Supersoft
Canada
Supersoft
Austria
Supersoft
P Zero Yellow
Soft
Soft
Soft
P Zero White
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
P Zero Orange
Hard
Hard
Soft
Soft
Soft
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For further information please contact
Roberto Boccafogli • +39 335 125 6694 • [email protected]
(Head of F1 Press Office)
Maria Stella Narciso • +39 338 942 3585 • [email protected]
Anthony Peacock • +44 7765 896 930 • [email protected]
Francescopaolo Tarallo • +39 334 684 4307 • [email protected]
(Head of Product and Motorsport Communication)
Pirelli Tyre Press Office • +39 02 6442 4270 • [email protected]
The F1 FORMULA 1 logo, F1, FORMULA 1, FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, GRAND PRIX
and related marks are trade marks of Formula One Licensing BV, a Formula One group company. All rights reserved