Pirelli: The Italian Grand Prix from a tire point of view

For the home race, in Monza, Pirelli has chosen to bring the P Zero Orange hard and P Zero White medium tyres: the same combination seen in Spa, for the Belgian Grand Prix. But, if in Spa it is above all the lateral force that affects the tyres, in Monza it is the longitudinal energy and the high levels of mechanical grip that engage the tires instead. Given that the set-up must be a compromise between the slow and fast sections of the circuit, the tires will play a crucial role in Monza, with several opportunities for strategy.

The circuit dates back to 1922, it is here that Pirelli achieved its first Grand Prix victory, when Gastone Brilli Peri took the title in 1925, driving an Alfa Romeo. Having changed appearance many times over the years, the modern circuit is very different from the original.

Paul Hembery: “Monza is our home race, just half an hour away from our headquarters in Milan. It's easy to understand why we talk about the "temple of speed": it is, in fact, the fastest track of the season, and the long straights and fast corners put a lot of energy into the tyres. This means that overheating and blistering can become a problem if left unchecked. Therefore, correct tire management can have a very important effect on the race and strategy: it is something that the teams will have to evaluate during free practice on Friday. Here not only tire performance but also durability is tested, as there are many high-speed impacts with curbs, another important aspect of one of the most popular races of the year.”

Jean Alesi: “I love Monza, I have fantastic memories of this circuit. I was on pole twice and led for many laps, only having to drop back due to mechanical problems.
From a tire point of view, it is a very demanding race, with the fastest lap of the year, so it is natural to bring the harder compounds.
The cars run with low downforce, so they can slide quite a bit in the corners: managing this aspect will be one of the keys to getting the best out of the tyres. Another important aspect in Monza is having the right tire pressure: you must avoid it being too low, especially for curbs that are hit at high speeds. The atmosphere in Monza is beautiful, the fans are really enthusiastic, it's really special.”

The circuit from a tire point of view:

Around 75% of the lap at Monza is spent at full throttle; there are also some areas of heavy braking, which put equally heavy strain on the tires. When approaching the first chicane, the single-seaters brake from 340 to 80 km\h in just 150 metres.

There is an alternation of straights and very fast corners. In the Parabolica we reach 3.7g: force also transmitted through the tires.

There are three sectors that put a lot of strain on the tires: first chicane, with heavy braking; Ascari variant, with rapid changes of direction; Parabolic, large-radius bend that puts lateral stress on the tires.

Technical notes on tyres

In Monza the top speed on the straight can reach 340 km\h, depending on the set-up. The resulting force can heat the tire up to 130 degrees centigrade – the peak temperature of the entire season.

The first two drivers on the podium last year (Hamilton and Perez) used a one-stop strategy, with Perez starting from 13th on the grid. Hamilton started with the medium and then moved to the hard, the opposite choice for Perez instead. The highest-placed driver to use a two-stop strategy was Michael Schumacher, who later finished sixth.

Teams use a Monza-specific aerodynamic package, typically with the lowest downforce levels of the year. This places the emphasis on mechanical grip rather than aerodynamic grip.

The Pirelli F1 Team: Dario Marrafuschi, responsible for modeling.

Dario is part of Pirelli's team of highly specialized engineers. He was born and raised in Milan. After graduating in 2000, he entered Formula One, dealing with vehicle dynamics, at Ferrari; then he became a tire engineer and finally, from 2006 to 2008, he took care of the test car.
He joined Pirelli that same year, taking on the role of racing manager, supervising all of Pirelli's on-track activities. In 2010, Dario joined the growing R&D division that was starting to work on the F1 project, specializing in modeling and pre-development.
Dario deals with the development of Pirelli racing tires through mathematical and simulation models. In his free time, he enjoys jogging and cycling in the Alps, Italy. But with work, a wife and a two-year-old child, it's not easy...

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