Latest news with #Pirelli
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Rain in F1 Belgian GP could wreck Pirelli's strategy experiment
A strategic experiment Pirelli has been preparing for since early May could be imperiled by the weather at this week's Belgian Grand Prix. The recent heatwave across north-west Europe has given way to a cyclonic low-pressure system pulling in rain from the Atlantic. Heavy, thundery showers are expected to deposit up to 50mm of rain in the UK, northern France and Belgium over the next four days. When the opening rounds of the Formula 1 season unfolded along relatively processional lines, and the majority of teams defaulted to one-stop strategies, F1's tyre supplier opted to 'think outside the box' for a way to introduce an element of jeopardy into the decision-making process. Since the 'family' of tyre compounds is homologated at the beginning of the season and cannot be changed, it is a question of using the available compounds differently. So Pirelli elected to specify the C1 rather than the C2 as the hard-compound tyre for Belgium. The medium and soft remain the C3 and C4, as they were last year. 'They [teams] always find a way to apply a strategy on one stop,' Pirelli motorsport manager Mario Isola said at the time. Sauber tyre 'It's not that we're trying to push them to have a two-stop strategy because it's better, it's more action, more unpredictability and better races – but with the three compounds that are so close they always try to use the hard and the medium to move to a one-stop.' The theory is that by increasing difference between the hard and the medium compounds, a one-stop strategy is likely to come with a lap-time penalty attached. Teams typically aim to stop just once because it preserves track position and minimises the likelihood of 'finger trouble' in pitstops. In an ideal world, adjacent compounds would always offer clear-cut characteristics in terms of durability and grip, but track layouts and surfaces differ greatly and variable weather can also affect performance. Also, last year Pirelli was given a 'target letter' identifying key requirements for this year's tyres. Among the stipulations was that they should be less sensitive to thermal degradation so that drivers could push them harder, for longer. Pirelli has delivered on this, but that success has come freighted with unintended consequences – chiefly a shift to de facto one-stop races. Convergence in car performance has made overtaking harder to achieve, and processional races have ensued. By introducing this compound 'step' on a sprint weekend, Pirelli hoped to add further complications around tyre choice. But while Spa's challenging, high-speed layout suited a plan to evaluate a step in the harder compounds, the Ardennes weather has always been fickle. If rain disrupts proceedings, as it did during the Miami weekend, an interesting race may eventuate anyway – but Pirelli will have to try again elsewhere. This is a more challenging process than casual observers may believe since it isn't a case of randomly substituting one compound for another. If there is too big a difference between compounds then the outcome is the same as if the gap is too small – teams will coalesce around similar strategies. Belgium was viewed as the ideal location for the experiment, but if it can't happen here, the options are running out. Read Also: 1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war To read more articles visit our website.
Top Gear
a day ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Driving, Engines & Performance
Driving What is it like to drive? As you might expect with 824bhp from a twin-turbo V12, the driving experience is mostly dominated by that engine. We described full throttle in the Vanquish coupe as 'like falling horizontally towards the view', and although the Volante sacrifices a tenth of a second in the 0-62mph stakes, once you've got the roof down and can feel the wind tearing your hair out, it feels like it's even faster than its tin-topped sibling. Advertisement - Page continues below Like the coupe, the convertible gets Aston's clever new 'Boost Reserve' function to help the turbos react as quickly as possible, and while you can catch it out by burying the throttle in too high a gear, if you drop a couple of quick cogs using the wheel-mounted paddles you'll feel exactly when the turbos are fed with that stored pressure. There's serious, almost-instant shove. Excellent grip from the special Pirelli tyres too, although it's still a wild ride and is accompanied by a brutal 12-cylinder soundtrack. The drop-top Volante is all the better for hearing said sound, too. What about when you get to a corner? Okay, perhaps there's not quite as much feedback through the steering wheel as we might like, but this is a giant GT that still gets a sharp front end and changes direction very neatly. The extra weight mostly sits towards the rear of the car, so the weight distribution is closer to 50:50 than you'll find in the coupe. The steering has a decent weight to it and doesn't feel overly assisted either, while the e-diff shuffles power to keep the rear in check through bends. You get a hefty brake pedal too and awesome stopping power from the standard carbon ceramic brakes, plus there's Aston's multi-stage traction control to up the ante and remove assistance in carefully judged stages. Advertisement - Page continues below Can it still do the job of a GT? While Sport and Sport+ modes deliver noise and thunder that make the Vanquish Volante feel like a maniacal supercar, in the standard GT mode the torque curve is carefully shaped in the first four gears for slightly more relaxing acceleration that builds to a crescendo higher in the rev range. The adaptive Bilstein dampers are softened to allow for a little bit of body roll too and – when closed – the fabric roof deploys its 'multi-layered insulation' to keep road and wind noise from filling the cabin. It's a remarkably quiet cruiser, with noise cancelling tech in its tyres and that monstrous engine ticking over at 1,500rpm at motorway speeds. Probably worth noting here that you also get a 'Wet' mode, and while we didn't drive the Vanquish Volante in any rain, we'd imagine we would be quite thankful that it limits torque to just under 300lb ft. What's the ride like? The Volante's rear spring rate is up seven per cent over the coupe and the front anti roll bar is seven per cent stiffer too, but it's the same basic chassis as the hard-top and Aston says it developed them side-by-side to ensure that no compromises were made when chopping off the roof. The ride is on the firmer side particularly if you step out of GT mode, but it still copes admirably with bigger bumps in the road and there's seemingly no flex in the chassis. We're told it's around 75 per cent stiffer than the previous DBS Superleggera Volante. Of course, there's also an Individual drive mode that allows you to benefit from the softer suspension setup of GT mode and the barnstorming throttle map of Sport mode.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
The challenges Pirelli faces developing all-new 2026 F1 tyres
The 2026 revolution in Formula 1 doesn't just involve new cars and a different engine formula. It also includes an entirely new generation of tyres - an element that plays a crucial role in modern F1. Initially, the FIA wanted to switch to 16-inch for 2026 to reduce weight, but sole tyre supplier Pirelli opposed this for several reasons, including road relevance. As a result, F1 will stick with 18-inch tyres, but the new wheels will be narrower and have a slightly smaller diameter as well, which should still contribute to weight savings in 2026. Mule cars not fully representative of F1 2026 machinery Next year's tyres will feature an all-new construction and new compounds. Extensive testing is in full swing, most recently with Aston Martin and Sauber at Silverstone. However, it's a complicated process, as Pirelli can't test its new tyres on 2026-spec cars and has to rely on 'mule cars' - modified cars under the current set of regulations that are adapted to simulate the 2026 characteristics. Pirelli admits they are not truly representative of next year, and as such, developing the new 2026 tyres is to some extent a leap into the unknown. Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber, Pirelli test Silverstone 'I'm satisfied with the development so far, but of course, there are a lot of question marks,' Mario Isola, head of Pirelli Motorsport, told 'First of all, that's related to the car. We are using mule cars. Teams are doing a good job in trying to give us a car that is as representative as possible, but they are still current cars. 'It means they are cars with a different aero package and a different level of downforce as well. Actually, we estimate that the downforce they are generating is higher compared to what we'll have next year. 'This means that it's a bit difficult for us to have a range of compounds that is perfectly centred across the performance of the car. 'If the car is stressing the tyres more or less compared to what you expect, then of course there's a risk to go too aggressive or too conservative with the tyres, because you don't have a clear idea on what you will find in 2026.' Still, Isola sees reason for optimism based on past experience: 'In 2021, when we were developing the 18-inch tyre, and it was working quite well in 2022. Mario Isola, Racing Manager, Pirelli Motorsport, on the grid 'During the first year with the new cars, we didn't find any major changes that were needed on the tyres.' 'Obviously, fine-tunings are always necessary, so I'm still expecting a tyre in 2027 that is different from the one in 2026,' added Isola, expecting there to be a better understanding of the new regulations once they are in effect for a year. A calculated guess for 2026? Until then, Pirelli must to some extent make a calculated guess based on various parameters and sources of information that it can look it. The mule cars are one of them, but can't be trusted as an absolute benchmark. 'We cannot just rely on our tests with the mule cars,' added Isola. 'We need to cross all the information that is coming from the track with simulations from the teams, what their simulators say about 2026, our virtual model and a thermomechanical model of the tyres. 'So, it's quite a lot of work together with our modelling department, R&D, the testing department, material department and many more elements. 'We've also found differences between the mule cars, each team is preparing a mule car in a different way.' Lando Norris, McLaren during Pirelli test To simulate the reduced downforce levels of 2026, teams run significantly less wing than they normally would on a given track - but that's not the only adjustment for the tests. 'No, it's not just about the wings,' said Isola, 'because they have to change the ride height as well, given the new tyres are lower in diameter. 'So, they made some modifications to the cars that are allowed by the FIA in order to give us the most representative mule cars. 'But as I said, we still found differences across the teams. It's useful for us to test with all the teams to get a complete picture and also to get a good idea about the differences across all mule cars. 'But to return to your initial question: overall, we're quite happy with the progress, and we believe that we can have a well-balanced product in 2026.' Testing of the 2026 tyres will continue on 5-6 August at the Hungaroring, followed by additional sessions in Monza, Mugello, and Mexico City. To read more articles visit our website.
Bangkok Post
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Bangkok Post
Pirelli Launches New Office and Logistics Hub
Bangkok, 14 July 2025 – Pirelli Tyre (Thailand) Limited celebrated the official opening of its new office and logistics hub in Bangkok, Thailand. This milestone marks a significant step in the Group's strategy to strengthen its presence in ASEAN, where Pirelli already has a strong commercial footprint, underscoring its long-term commitment to the Asia-Pacific region. As a pure consumer tyre company, Pirelli will focus on developing its passenger car and motorcycle businesses, as well as reinforcing its brand in Thailand. In addition to decisively strengthening well-established partnerships with key Motorcycle Original Equipment (OE) manufacturers, the opening of the new local logistics hub in Bangkok will bolster Car OE collaborations and its motorsport business. This will further enhance Pirelli's capabilities across key mobility sectors, reaffirming its commitment to delivering premium solutions tailored to regional market needs. The opening event was held at One Bangkok Tower, with the participation of Mr Andrea Conti, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Italy in Thailand; Mr Giacomo Iobizzi, Secretary-General of the Italian Chamber of Commerce; alongside Mr Andrea Maganzani, Pirelli APAC CEO; Mr Ting Chen, Managing Director of Pirelli Asia Pte Ltd; and Mr Leonardo Saccioni, Managing Director of Pirelli Thailand. 'The opening of Thailand's new office and logistics hub is more than a milestone – it's a reaffirmation of Pirelli's commitment to Southeast Asia,' said Mr Maganzani. 'By strengthening our presence here, we aim to offer better support to Thailand's consumers and partners, while enhancing strategic collaborations with leading retailers and manufacturers.' Pirelli's presence in Thailand is already well established through strong relationships with leading retail chains and car dealers. In the motorcycle segment, Pirelli supplies renowned OEMs such as Triumph, Ducati, Royal Enfield, Honda, and BMW. The new facilities will serve as a local base for direct engagement with partners, enabling Pirelli to respond swiftly to market demands and drive future growth across Thailand's dynamic automotive landscape.
Auto Blog
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Blog
BMW's New M2 Track Pack Teased To Torment Audi Again
By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. View post: Do You Have to Be an Off-Roader to Daily a 2025 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro? My Thoughts After Reviewing It It's the under-the-skin upgrades that will be most interesting Now that the second-generation BMW M2 has been around for a few years, the German marque is hard at work rolling out more focused versions of the compact two-door sports coupe. Just last month, the M2 CS arrived with more power, and it has already shattered the Audi RS3's Nürburgring record for compact cars. Now, BMW M has teased a street-legal track package for the M2, and our spies have also captured the M2 with this pack being tested on a track. The various M Performance Parts will no doubt turn this into an even more vicious track toy, so let's take a closer look. Oops! We're unable to load this content right now. View directly on Instagram Huge Rear Wing Stands Out Source: BMW The teaser shots are of a yellow M2 with the front and rear ends partially concealed by a camo wrap. The new rear wing is unmissable, though, and should increase the car's downforce. To the eye, it looks like this model sits a bit lower to the ground than the standard M2, while the front lip also seems to protrude a little more, which is evident in the spy shots below. We can also spot Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS rubber, and these performance-focused tires should help to extract maximum performance from the coupe. One partial shot offers a glimpse into the cabin, but we can't make out much more than the widescreen display found in other M2s. Rear headrests suggest that any weight-saving measures haven't gone as far as removing the back seats, as is the case on the more extreme M4 CSL. 'The BMW M2 hits the Nürburgring, pushing BMW M Performance Parts to the limit,' said a post from BMW M, more than a hint that the coupe will be chasing another Nürburgring record. 'BMW M Performance Parts is developing a street legal track day package to deliver pure performance.' More Power And Chassis Upgrades Likely Autoblog Newsletter Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Sign up or sign in with Google Facebook Microsoft Apple By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. Right now, it's not clear whether the Track Package applies to the normal M2, the M2 CS, or both. Nevertheless, we expect BMW will be making a few changes under the skin, beyond the visual updates we can see. The standard M2's 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder engine makes 473 horsepower, while the one in the CS goes all the way up to 523 hp. We doubt that BMW will want to step on the toes of the CS, so an output between these two M2s seems likely. If applied to the standard M2, it's possible the Track Package could come with a manual gearbox. Remember, the CS sticks with an automatic, as its output of 523 hp was deemed too much for the manual gearbox to handle. Set to be introduced in 2026, we hope to see a full reveal of the M2 with the Track Package later this year, which is also when pricing is likely to be announced. About the Author Karl Furlong View Profile
