FORUMula1.com

[sagi58]

There are no silver tyres, nor were there last season. This season is the same as last and they are this

image.jpg

You're right of course, rc.

From left to right: Wet, Intermediate, Hard, Medium, Soft, Super Soft.

Here are the past colors:

** Hard compound tyres were silver for the 2011 and 2012 season.
*** Intermediate tyres were blue for the 2011 season
**** Wet tyres were orange for the 2011 season.

Looks like I deserve this one, this time:


p.s. thanks for keeping me "honest"!!

[sagi58]

...Boy, the strategy adds so much to the race?!

Understatement of the year!!

[sagi58]

Now... where have I heard this before??

Force India proposes 'individual choice' for Pirelli tyres

Force India has come up with a proposal to spice up formula one. Sporting director Otmar Szafnauer thinks the races would be more exciting if more of Pirelli's four compounds are being used throughout the field.

Currently, the F1 tyre supplier selects two compounds to take to each race. "Pirelli has four different compounds in its range," Szafnauer told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport. "Why can't each team individually select its two options? If the teams give Pirelli a four week lead time, the tyres can be produced in time without adding to the cost."

"The selections will then be secret until the Thursday before the race, so that on Thursday, it will be an interesting talking point," he added. The move would undoubtedly spice up the action, with a range of pace, degradation and pit strategies spread throughout the field.

[darwin dali]

Would be easy to implement, so yes!

[myownalias]

Sounds very interesting, now if we also bring back refueling, we'll have some exciting back in F1.

[sagi58]

Pirelli announces tyre selection for next four races

Pirelli has nominated the tyres that will be used in the grands prix of Spain, Monaco, Canada and Austria. The nominations are the same as 2014, but with the cars going faster this year, there is more energy going through the tyres.

In Spain, Pirelli will bring the P Zero Orange hard and P Zero White medium: the two hardest tyres in the range. The Montmelo circuit is well known for putting high-energy loads through the tyres, while ambient temperatures can also be high.

For Monaco and Canada, respectively a street circuit and a semi-permanent facility, the two softest tyres in the range will again be used: P Zero Yellow soft and P Zero Red Supersoft.

Monaco is the slowest circuit on the calendar, which is very twisty with smooth asphalt, and also relies heavily on mechanical grip from the tyres. This makes it the perfect place for the supersoft with its rapid warm-up to make its debut this year, in combination with the soft.

Canada is another circuit that is very reliant on mechanical grip, with the race frequently held in cool temperatures. As a result, the soft and supersoft is once again the ideal choice. Traction and braking are the main characteristics of the lap.

The Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg features several sharp corners, meaning that the average speed is relatively low. Coupled with unpredictable weather conditions, the soft and supersoft is again well suited to the track characteristics.

[sagi58]

1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve says tyre war is best for F1

Formula 1's 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has backed Fernando Alonso's call for a return of a tyre war to improve the show.

Double world champion Alonso argued that F1 was better off when Michelin and Bridgestone went head to head from 2001-06.

However, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner and Toro Rosso chief Franz Tost are firmly against the idea.

Villeneuve told AUTOSPORT: "The best thing that could happen to F1 is a tyre war.

"There was a tyre war in 1997 when Bridgestone arrived and we got amazing tyres because of that."

Tost has suggested that only the best teams will get good tyres while the rest will "just get the scraps".

But Villeneuve disagrees, although he said it is logical that the bigger teams develop the rubber.

"I heard comments from Tost who said only the good teams get the best tyres," he said. "Well, no.

"OK the good teams develop the tyres which is logical, the better teams should.

"It shouldn't be the small ones who decide. That's life.

"A lot of tyres, they are picked by random so you cannot favour one team to another."

The FIA has opened the tyre tender process for 2017-19, with Pirelli's current contract due to expire at the end of 2016.

Pirelli has said it intends to stay in the sport if "the regulations are the ones we agree upon" while Michelin, last involved in the sport in 2006, is considering a return.

[sagi58]

At Spa, Vettel spoke out about Pirelli, some were not amused; however, David Coulthard defended Vettel.
I've quote the bits and pieces that referred to Vettel in the Spa thread, which can be found here:
Subject: Spa this wknd.


The full article is here:

Vettel right to tackle Pirelli on tires

[sagi58]

Sounds like there will be more testing for next year's wider tires.
Hopefully, all the teams get the opportunity to do so.

Drivers ordered to stop slating Pirelli

Formula 1 drivers have been asked to stop criticising Pirelli in public in a meeting with the tyre firm and Bernie Ecclestone at the Italian Grand Prix.

The talks followed severe criticism of Pirelli by Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg following their Belgian GP tyre blowouts.

Pirelli met with Vettel between Spa and Monza, leaving the Ferrari driver appreciative of the Italian company's efforts.

That was followed by a meeting with a larger group of drivers and team bosses on Friday in which topics included the need for more testing freedom and an agreement to voice criticism in private.

"It was to find a way, if we're to stay in Formula 1, to have a much better working relationship and collaboration with all the parties in the sport," said Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery.

"You can't go to 2017 with a dramatic change in tyre widths with the current regulations saying you can't test.

"We also feel that there needs to be a greater communication with the drivers and all parties need to agree on what is the objective.

"You might not agree with the objective, but if the sport decides to go in a direction then we all need to know that we're all looking at the same future."

Asked if the drivers had been told they were barred from negative comments about Pirelli, Hembery replied: "They've been asked to do it in the right environment, which is in the teams and with us.

"They should express their opinions in the right manner.

"Other things happen in the sport and they don't offer an opinion, so it just needs to be balanced."

Although Pirelli is currently embroiled in a battle with Michelin for the next F1 tyre contract, Hembery said the main impact of driver criticism was on the public rather than Pirelli's board-level decision-makers.

"It's less about the board, it's what the general public thinks," he said.

"Public perception, obviously, with famous people saying those things is not favourable."

He accepted there was also fault on Pirelli's side.

"We're guilty of not communicating enough with the drivers," he said. "I think there's a willingness from the drivers to work with us.

"The main point is that we need more communication, so we've suggested regular meetings with the drivers so we can take their points of view and put them to the other parties."

Drivers present in the meeting were unwilling to comment about its specifics.

When asked by reporters what had been discussed, Rosberg replied: "You guys know too much. I'm not going to say anything. It's not a good idea [to talk about it].

"[The meeting] was OK. I'm pleased with the effort that's gone in since Spa to try to understand it and take measures to further improve the safety.".

[darwin dali]

Next year? Or 2017?

[sagi58]

Next year? Or 2017?

Are you an editor, in your spare time, or something?

((haha... it would seem I'm wishing my life away!! ))

[darwin dali]

I know how to read, yes

[sagi58]

I'm sure you do!!

(((note to self, stop skimming articles... )))

p.s. thanks for catching that, DD!!!

[sagi58]

Three F1 teams named for Pirelli wet-weather tyres test

Only three teams will be in action later this month as Pirelli develops its wet-weather F1 tyres.

F1’s official supplier on Monday announced that Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren have been selected to run at Paul Ricard on January 25 and 26.

“More details on the drivers participating as well as the test programme will be made available in the coming days,” a statement read.

Unlike the post-season tyre test in Abu Dhabi, Pirelli said the media can attend the Paul Ricard session.

[darwin dali]

The Financial Times:

Merger king: Ren uses state loan to build chemicals powerhouse

Ren Jianxin has spent his entire career in China’s state-owned system. Born in the city of Lanzhou in 1958, he joined the ministry of chemicals industry after graduating from university. As state entities struggled to pay their way in the early years of China’s reform era, Mr Ren used an Rmb10,000 (CHF1,525) government loan to start an industrial cleaning company called Bluestar in 1984. Because of the source of his funding, he never technically left the employment of the state.

Mr Ren then embarked on a buying spree during which Bluestar acquired more than 100 state companies, most of them in the chemicals sector. The resulting group was christened ChemChina in 2004, with Bluestar one of its core units. Along the way, Mr Ren was dubbed China’s “merger king” by state media and he has since plied his acquisitive trade overseas, snapping up a number of specialty chemical companies in Australia, France, Israel and Norway.

ChemChina is now China’s largest chemicals group. “Every youngster has dreams and aspirations,” said Mr Ren last year. “I dreamt of building Bluestar into a big business.” He only really came to international attention with ChemChina’s €7.3billion (CHF8.1 billion) purchase of Pirelli, the Italian tyre company, in 2015.