Pirelli F1: The Cinturato, world champion in the 50s, is back

The 2012 Formula 1 season marks the return to the top automotive championship of the Cinturato brand, to which the history not only of Formula One but of the entire tire industry is linked. The Cinturato, in fact, made its debut in 1951 on Juan Manuel Fangio's Alfa 159, accompanying him to the final victory, and alternating on the podium with another Pirelli tire, the Stella Bianca mounted on the Maserati and on the Ferrari 375. The Cinturato raced in Formula One until the mid-50s and then became a cover for the sportiest and most advanced road cars of the time.

The definitive consecration as a reference tire for the automotive industry came during the 60s, when it effectively became a protagonist of mass motorization.

The innovative technology developed by Pirelli for the Cinturato in the 50s takes its name from the radial belt that wraps the carcass, made of textile fiber and subsequently evolved into a metallic material. This innovation paved the way for tires with a widened section capable of managing the greater transverse accelerations achieved by cars since the 60s. Today the Cinturato, in addition to marking Formula One wet tires, identifies one of the most successful road products on the world market.