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How Many Kilometers Are Racing Tyres Set to Last - do you know how many kilometers are racing tyres set to last and how much weight does an average f1 ™ driver lose per race due to prolonged exposure to high g forces and temperature
The GP2 Series™ season concludes this weekend at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza after a season-long battle for the title: Romain Grosjean has been crowned as the seventh champion in series history, but the fight continues for the podium places as well as the teams’ title.
While the Frenchman claimed the title after another strong performance at Spa-Francorchamps, five drivers remain in the fight for the remaining spots on the title podium: Giedo van der Garde, Jules Bianchi, Charles Pic, Luca Filippi and Sam Bird will resume their fight tomorrow, while Grosjean will be hoping to add to his win total of five for the year.
Bianchi and Bird can be expected to pick up where they left off last year: the Frenchman took pole at the fabled Italian circuit but the Englishman pipped his then teammate for the win in the feature race, while Filippi will be hoping to add to his late season surge at his home circuit. Van der Garde and Bird will also be hoping to claim their first victories of the season. Their teams will be doing everything they can to help the young pilots add to their points tally: Team Addax leads the teams’ championship but another strong weekend for Grosjean could tip the balance towards DAMS, while Racing Engineering, Lotus ART and iSport International will battle for third place.
Pirelli’s P Zero GP2 hard compound tyres have been chosen for the Italian track because of its high speeds and hard braking areas, which put severe demands on the rubber. Pirelli’s Racing Manager Mario Isola commented: ”To Monza we will bring our P Zero GP2 hard slicks which are designed to provide the maximum endurance in the toughest conditions. Because of the need for low aerodynamic profile, grip is quite low at Monza.Hard compound tyres are less grippy compared to softer options, but they are best suited to high-speed tracks characterised by high-speed straights and dramatic corners such as Monza. This is because they take longer to get up to ideal operating temperature, resulting in higher levels of performance and durability.”
He continued: ”We also opted for our harder compound as we need to equip GP2 drivers with a resistant tyre specifically designed to cope with the high temperature levels which are reached at this circuit, avoiding the effects of blistering. In fact, because of the presence of high longitudinal forces tyre blistering may occur. This phenomenon is due to a combination of hard braking followed by high acceleration and severe cornering forces, which are specific to Monza. Adding to the challenge are some notoriously high kerbs, which also put heavy demands on the tyres.”
Following on from the pole position in Qualifying and victory by Christian Vietoris in Spa’s Feature Race, Racing Engineering are looking for more success at Monza this weekend.
The 2011 GP2 season reaches its final weekend at the historic venue of the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy. This exciting 5.793km circuit, built nearly ninety years ago, has been the venue of the Italian Grand Prix for every race since 1922. Famed for its long straights and legendary high speed corners such as the Curva Parabolica, Curva di Lesmo and Variante Ascari, Monza has been the site of some of the closest finishes in the history of Grand Prix racing.
Both Germany’s Christian Vietoris and Spain’s Dani Clos will be looking forward to finishing the season on a high and move further up the final Championship table. Vietoris has a good record at Monza winning the 2010 Sprint Race and, with his victory at Spa two weeks ago, he is a strong favourite for another win. Dani Clos was very much on the pace at Spa with point scoring finishes in both races and he too will be looking for a win to finish off his 2011 season.
For Monza Pirelli will be using their hard compound slicks as the high speeds and heavy braking that the circuit demands means that tyres will be put under a lot of strain. As ever set-up is critical for a competitive chassis as the nature of the circuit requires a low drag set-up but good traction, braking and stability are also important, Racing Engineering’s experience should ensure that both Vietoris and Clos will have cars capable of winning.
Christian, the last GP2 race event in Spa was a really good weekend for you with pole position, the win of the feature race and also fastest lap in the race. You must have really enjoyed the Belgian round, no?
Yes, definitely. It was real fun although the conditions were not making it easy. The Belgian weekend was so far our best weekend. After a difficult start into the season, it is nice to finish it on a high level.
This weekend we have the last of the 2011 GP2 season’s races in Monza, where you won last year. What can be expected from this weekend?
The Autodromo di Monza is one of the race tracks with a long history in motorsports. There is a very special ambience there and for the drivers it’s fun to drive in Monza with the car so specially prepared for this circuit.
Tomorrow the GP2 Main Series field will get back on track in Monza for the final round of the season, and Scuderia Coloni is ready to close 2011 in style.
The team aims to keep momentum after the stunning pace and results they got in the latest rounds of the Series with Luca Filippi driving the #19 car. The all-italian pair started working together in the Nürburgring weekend and from then on, in the three rounds they faced together, they clinched some amazing result: two wins (Race 1 at the “Ring” and Race 2 in Spa), one podium finish (Race 2 in Germany) and three first row qualifying performances. This allowed Luca Filippi to score an impressive 31 points, getting back in contention for the 3rd spot of the overall classification: Bianchi is 8 points ahead, a gap that’s not impossible to fill with a great weekend.
So there are many reason for the team to aim for the top spots right from qualifying where the aim is to take pole position, after getting very close to it in the 3 last outings.
Looking at the recent past, the Monza circuit has always been a sweet venue for Scuderia Coloni, as the team got three wins at the “Autodromo Nazionale”. In 2006 Giorgio Pantano won both the races of the weekend ahead of Lewis Hamilton, while in 2009 Luiz Razia won Race 2.
Paolo Coloni: “Racing at home race always feels special, but this time it’s much more so because we have a great momentum from the previous races that we want to carry in this finale.
Needless to say, the whole team wants a win in Monza, especially to say thanks to all the Italian fans who congratulated us for the recent results. We want to bring them some more joy, this is the aim. Obviously, after starting from P2 for three times in a row, we also want to clinch pole position, it would be the perfect stepping stone for a great result in Race 1.
Anyway, we know it won’t be easy, also because it will be the first time we will be using the low-downforce setup. It’s a config that is allowed for Monza only, so it will be something new for all the teams and the drivers, who will have to find the feeling quickly. Anyway we did a lot of simulation work and we are confident, we are charged-up and ready to give our best”.
Ocean Racing Technology will be taking part in the GP2 Series finale, which takes place September 9-11 on Italy’s Autodromo Nazionale Monza. After being two of the main contenders in the Spa-Francorchamps races, Johnny Cecotto Jr and Brendon Hartley are taking on the finale with enthusiasm, determined to bring the Portuguese team its first podium of the season.
Two weeks ago in Belgium, the Venezuelan driver was hampered by various problems which kept him from achieving good results, but he has not lost his optimism. “I really think that we will be able to climb the podium in this extremely competitive championship. It would only be fair for the team, which unfortunately has had some bad luck on several occasions. But we have all the qualities we need to make it happen. Having two good races and adding points to our total will be my main objective at Monza,” declared Johnny Cecotto Jr.
The former Red Bull and Toro Rosso driver who joined the team at the last meeting immediately found his marks and demonstrated, through his showing on the track, that he has enormous potential. “I am grateful to Ocean Racing Technology for giving me the chance to take part in these two race meetings. What a great payback it would be to be on the podium at such a prestigious circuit. I finished in 5th place at Spa, and it was just my first race, so our ambition is therefore completely realistic,” explained the New Zealander.
Caterham Team AirAsia has arrived in Italy to conclude not only the 2011 GP2 Main Series championship this weekend, but also the team’s first ever season in the F1 feeder category.
Regarded as one the finest circuits on the calendar, and set within the royal park, the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza combines speed with skill.
The GP2 Series will race on Pirelli P Zero hard compound tyres, chosen to endure the high speeds and hard braking of the fast straights and tight chicanes at Monza.
The 2011 title was successfully secured by DAMS driver Romain Grosjean at the last round in Spa, but with points still up for grabs, Caterham Team AirAsia, currently sixth in the Teams’ Championship, aims to end the season on a high with a positive performance from local Italian driver Davide Valsecchi and team mate Luiz Razia.
Phill Spencer: “I am optimistic. We have had a bit of a bad run recently but both drivers have had good results here so there is no reason why the drivers cannot do well here, but we will find out when the cars turn a wheel here in free practice tomorrow. The engineers are experienced and have been here many times in the past so they know what they are doing. I am a little anxious but I am happy to be here. The first time I came to this circuit was in 1979 and not much has changed really, just a little at the first chicane. With the long straights and monster braking, drivers like it. The high speed makes it an exciting track to drive but it is the braking that will make up all the time here.”
Davide Valsecchi: “It’s an incredibly good feeling being here this week. Monza is close to home so I have friends and supporters with me which is really nice. It is a lot of fun racing here, there are long straights, strong brake points and lots of chances to overtake, so I hope the team and I can qualify well and have a good weekend from the front. I hope the hard tyres will not be a problem. We had a good, competitive result when we used them in Barcelona, so considering this and the good weather forecast I am feeling positive. The team always do a good job I want to make a faultless race so we can finish the season well.”
Luiz Razia: “It is a pleasure to be here in Monza! I won the sprint race here in 2009 with Di Grassi and Hulkenburg behind me which was a great feeling. It is good fun to be on the track where the hard tyres, low downforce and high speeds mean you are on the edge all the time. The atmosphere is always great here too. Since Silverstone we’ve had very wet, difficult conditions but hopefully here will be dry so we can work through the weekend and have a good consistent weekend. If the weather is stable of course everyone else is in the same situation, so competition will as always be tough but that’s good. I really like the Ascari chicane and Parabolica, the change of direction through these are very quick. We used the hard compound tyres in Barcelona and we had a good race, our aim here is to work on the qualifying so we can start the weekend in a strong position.”
Humphrey Corbett: “I’m looking forward to this weekend. There’s no chance of rain at the moment and it would be nice to have a stress free weekend unlike we have had in the past few races. We have got two drivers that have done very well here, we have a good set-up and will be using the hard tyres which we like so we are confident of a good result. To have a good chance at doing well here you need good braking, good stability under braking, low downforce and to be reasonably good over kerbs. I am sure both drivers will go for it this weekend. We have nothing to lose but we can climb up the championship so let’s go for it!”
Pirelli’s P Zero GP2 and GP3 hard compound tyres will equip Formula One’s feeder series during the final round of the 2011 season at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza from 9 to 11 September, venue of the Italian Formula One Grand Prix.
Located north of Milan not far from Pirelli’s headquarters, the Monza circuit is a high-speed track where drivers are on full throttle for most of the lap due to the circuit’s long straights. The 5.793-kilometre layout features three long straights where extreme high speeds are reached and 11 turns where stability, braking precision and traction are essential. Among these are the famous Curva di Lesmo, Curva Parabolica, Variante Ascari and the flat-out Curva Grande.
Pirelli’s P Zero GP2 and GP3 hard compound tyres are the perfect choice for the Italian track because of its high speeds and hard braking areas, which put severe demands on the rubber. While maximum power combined with minimal drag is the key for speed, the cars will need to be set up with very low downforce to blast their way along Monza’s fast straights and through the tight chicanes and spectacular corners.
Pirelli’s Racing Manager Mario Isola commented: “To Monza we will bring our P Zero GP2 and GP3 hard slicks which are designed to provide the maximum endurance in the toughest conditions. Because of the need for low aerodynamic profile, grip is quite low at Monza. Hard compound tyres are less grippy compared to softer options, but they are best suited to high-speed tracks characterised by high-speed straights and dramatic corners such as Monza. This is because they take longer to get up to ideal operating temperature, resulting in higher levels of performance and durability.”
He continued: “We also opted for our harder compound as we need to equip GP2 and GP3 drivers with a resistant tyre specifically designed to cope with the high temperature levels which are reached at this circuit, avoiding the effects of blistering. In fact, because of the presence of high longitudinal forces tyre blistering may occur. This phenomenon is due to a combination of hard braking followed by high acceleration and severe cornering forces, which are specific to Monza. Adding to the challenge are some notoriously high kerbs, which also put heavy demands on the tyres.”
GP2 driver Adam Carroll (Super Nova Racing) commented: “Monza will be my fourth GP2 round this year but the first round when I’ll run on Pirelli’s P Zero hard slicks. I like Monza a lot because it’s a high-speed challenging track where it is important to have a resistant tyre to rely on. After Spa-Francorchamps, I must say I prefer the medium compound to the soft tyres because it was very consistent and it enabled me to push hard during racing. I’m looking forward to seeing how the hard compound will behave at Monza.”
GP3 rookie Daniel Mancinelli (RSC Mücke Motorsport) commented: “I’m new to GP3 so I’ve got a lot to learn including how to manage the car and the new Pirelli tyres which are quite different from any other tyre I have raced on so far. During my debut in Belgium last week I was surprised to get a good feeling with both the slick and wet tyres straightaway. The medium compound worked very well and I hope I will manage to adapt well to the hard slicks even at Monza.”
With Romain Grosjean crowned 2011 GP2 Champion at Spa-Francorchamps, only the battle for the GP3 drivers’ title is still open with the top drivers in the standings ready for their last chance to fight for points. After Belgium, Barwa Addax Team and DAMS are still battling for the GP2 teams’ title while Lotus ART has already won this season’s GP3 teams’ title.
On Friday 9 September, the GP3 drivers will take part in two practice sessions while the GP2 drivers will complete a single practice and qualifying session. On Saturday 10 September, GP3 drivers will complete their qualifying session in the morning, followed by the GP2 feature race at 15:40 and the first GP3 race at 17:20 local time. Before the Italian Formula One Grand Prix gets underway on Sunday 11 September, the second GP3 race will take place at 8:55, followed by the GP2 sprint race at 10:30. The GP2 drivers will cover 30 laps in Saturday’s race and 21 laps in Sunday’s race, while both GP3 races will last for 16 laps.
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