Pirelli: New hard tire in Spain, status quo in Monaco and Canada

The Milanese manufacturer has decided to introduce, starting from the Spanish Grand Prix, a new Hard tire, more consistent than the current Hard compound. However, Pirelli maintains the status quo with its softer tires, which will be the norm in Monaco and Canada.

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Under the pressure of requests to change its tires, Pirelli decided, following the Bahrain Grand Prix, to introduce a new hard tire that, starting from the next race, will replace the hardest compound offered by the Italian manufacturer so far: « After evaluating the tire performance at the end of the first four races, we made the decision – in consultation with all the teams – to change the hardest compound starting from the Spanish Grand Prix as we did in Barcelona two years ago when we introduced a new hard tire for the rest of the season, » explains in a statement Paul Hembery, director of Pirelli Motorsport. « This latest version of the hard tire is much closer to the 2012 tires with the aim of providing teams more opportunities to implement a wide variety of strategies by combining them with the other compounds, which remain unchanged. »

The decision of the Milan firm might disappoint some drivers and teams – notably Red Bull – as well as fans who were hoping for a complete overhaul of the Pirelli range. However, in an interview with Reuters earlier this week, Paul Hembery left little hope for those criticizing the 2013 tires: « It’s our third season [as the F1 tire manufacturer, ed.] and it’s no different from other years. We’ve launched a challenge, some like it, others don’t [but] the challenge is the same for everyone. In the end, a vast majority of teams came to us and said: “Whatever you do, don’t change anything!” We could change – because it’s necessary and because we see things that a tire manufacturer might want to change – but, essentially, they’re telling us: “Don’t change anything, even if it gives you bad publicity.” It’s rather strange. » And the Brit added, likely to explain why some teams don’t want anything to change: « For their own reasons, those who made the most noise are obviously Red Bull. The others, if they see that a team is pushing so hard for change, they feel there’s a good reason for it. »

In Spain, drivers and teams will have the new Hard tires – which will of course remain marked with orange – and the Medium tires: rubbers that, according to the manufacturer, will be well-suited to the high demands of the Circuit de Catalunya. In Monaco, as usual, Pirelli will provide drivers with its softest rubbers, ideal for the narrow and winding Monte-Carlo circuit. Finally, in Canada, whereas Pirelli brought the two softest compounds in 2012, drivers will this season, as in Australia, have the Super Soft and Medium tires that are best suited for the low temperatures and the specific demands of the Gilles Villeneuve circuit.

For the record, the regulations stipulate that teams receive six sets of the hardest compound and five sets of the softest compound available over a weekend, under normal circumstances. Pirelli will also bring its Cinturato Green intermediates (4 per driver) and Cinturato Blue rain tires (3 per driver) to each race. Therefore, drivers will have a total of eleven sets of tires for each weekend, as Pirelli apparently failed to gain consensus for its proposal to provide an additional set of tires to teams fielding a rookie driver.

Pirelli’s Tyre Choices in 2013
1 Australian Grand Prix Super Soft Medium
2 Malaysian Grand Prix Medium Hard
3 Chinese Grand Prix Soft Medium
4 Bahrain Grand Prix Medium Hard
5 Spanish Grand Prix Medium Hard
6 Monaco Grand Prix Super Soft Soft
7 Canadian Grand Prix Super Soft Medium
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