Pirelli tests its rain tyres under Abu Dhabi floodlights
The new rubber supplier to Formula One, Pirelli tested its rain tyres this Monday at the Yas Marina Circuit. It might seem strange, to test the wet track response of the tyres on a desert but the newly built and technically the most advanced circuit around
the globe, the Abu Dhabi Track in UAE was considered as the best option by the Italian tyre manufacturers.
Pirelli will be returning to the Formula One tracks with the beginning of the 2011 season, this March at the Bahrain grand Prix. The rubber suppliers signed a deal with Formula One last year as Bridgestone announced to pull out from the sport. Bridgestone’s
contract finished with the last race of the 2010 season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. As it decided not to have the contract renewed anymore with the sport. The Italian company hoped to immediately fill the space.
Pirelli will be seen with the sport as the sole tyre supplier to all the teams, all through the year. The company had its first test, here in UAE, soon after the last race of the 2010 season in November. Now, as the Formula One caravan is set to begin this
season’s battle, Pirelli is carrying the last and the final tests required before the beginning of the season.
The first pre-season tests are scheduled to begin on the 1st of February. This will be the first time that the cars will hit the track with the new rubber. Neither the teams nor Pirelli had a lot of data for the tyre reaction on wet tracks, which
is why this test session has been conducted.
While explaining the selection of the testing venue, the company's F1 tire boss, Paul Hembery explained that Abu Dhabi had a comparatively and consistently warmer temperature at this part of the year. Moreover, gazillions of floodlights that illuminate the
circuit for the night tests, match daylight and help get correct data. Moreover, to create the right effect of rain, approximately 30,000 gallons of “rain” was artificially poured to the 3.4-mile track by trucks. Hembery further explained that the process
had to be done at night to keep the sun from drying the track.
Moreover, the official Pirelli test driver and former F1 driver, Pedro de la Rosa carried the tests for the company using a Toyota TF109--the last car used by Toyota before leaving Formula One in 2009. The test continued for two days, and was divided into
nine different sessions.
Although the Italian manufacturers are returning to the sport after a period of 20 years, they are quite confident for the upcoming season. While talking about the upcoming season, Hembery said that he was happy the way they were progressing. He added that
although the company had stayed away for a long period of time, the return had not been like starting from scratch.
He explained saying, “Our company has been making tyres for 100 years, and we make road tires for some of the top cars in the world. We have the technical know-how, and we've been making racing tires for other series.”
When he was asked about the reason of returning to the sport and how it is going to affect the drivers, he replied, “We want the world to know who Pirelli is. Formula One goes all around the world, in all the countries in which multinational companies want
to be… When a driver wins a race, it's always because of the driver. But when a driver loses the race, it's always the tires' fault.”
Tags: