In 1872, a young engineer, named Giovanni Batista Pirelli founded the Pirelli & C in Milan Italy. Initial production of rubber started a year later; they produced insulated cables, telegraph cables. Pirelli also produced bicycle tires in 1890, and with the advent of the automobile, they produced the corresponding tire in 1901, thus paving the way for gentlemen drivers to race their cars against each other.
In the 1920s, no names were bigger and more revered than Nuvolari, Ascari, Fangio. They provided Pirelli numerous wins and paved the way for establishing the racing heritage of Pirelli.
Fast forward to the 2009: when Bridgestone announced that they will pull out of Grand Prix racing after the 2010 season, a few tire manufactures; namely, Michelin, Cooper, and Avon (yes, there is such a tire) made their intentions known to be the next Formula 1 official tire suppliers. But it was Pirelli that was granted the exclusive contract to supply tires for the 2010 – 2013 world championships.
Pirelli brought to the table six tire compounds: hard, medium, soft, super soft, intermediates, and wet weather tires. Each of these tires have their own unique qualities. The hard tires, identified by an orange band/marking on the side wall has the least grip but has proven to be the most durable. The super soft tires, identified by red markings, have the best grip but will easily deteriorate during the race. The wet weather tires are treaded and used when there is standing water, while the intermediates are used when there is no standing water on the circuit.
According to the 2013 Formula 1 Sporting regulations,” Article 25.2 Quantity of tyres during an Event :a) Except under d) below, no driver may use more than eleven sets of dry-weather tyres, six of “prime” specification and five of “option” specification. Article 25.4 f) unless he has used intermediate or wet-weather tyres during the race, each driver must use at least one set of each specification of dry-weather tyres during the race. If the race is suspended and cannot be re-started, thirty seconds will be added to the elapsed time of any driver who was unable to use both specifications of dry-weather tyre during the race. However, any driver who completes the race without using both specifications of dry-weather tyre will be excluded from the race results.”
Pirelli will provide each team 11 dry weather tires sets of tires for each race: six “primes” which is the harder compound” and five “options”, the softer compound. Also, four sets of intermediates and three sets of wet weather tires will be available for the team’s use during the GP weekend. All Formula One tires will only be inflated using air or nitrogen, this according to the 2013 F1 Technical regulations.
” Temperatures are a key element for the tires to work perfectly, each compound has its own window of optimal temperature,” according to Mario Isola, Pirelli Racing Manager. The working range is split into two classifications, the high working range and the low working range. The Hard and Soft compounds temperature range is from 105-135 degrees while the Medium and Super Soft compounds have a 85-115 degrees working range. If the tires are operating below this range, it will cause graining; operating above its ideal temperature, it will cause overheating. In both instances it will result in lack of grip, robbing the car of much needed speed, and traction out of the corners.
How does all this racing benefit the ordinary consumer? On September 8, 2011, Pirelli introduced the PZero Silver, the first road tire manufactured using data they acquired while racing in Formula One. Whether you have a supercar with 1000 hp under the hood, or a regular four-door sedan, with tires that have no grip, all that engine power will not be transferred onto the tarmac. Those four round things help propel your car forward, and, God forbid, should you need to make an emergency stop, the proper tires may even save your life.
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