Pirelli has always been present in every motorsport specialty, which it considers a real open-air laboratory of the R&D department. The racing experience is the cornerstone of the development of tires for road hypercars, the design of which is strongly inspired by the Formula 1 of which Pirelli has been the sole supplier for more than ten and will remain so until 2024.
The constant technical transfer from the PZero of the Formula 1 single-seaters to those of the most performing super sports cars, keeping reliability and global performance as key points, has given a strong boost to digitalization for the development of tires not only for supercars, but also for all all other tires. In fact, it has reduced the set-up times by 30%, has increased the speed with which the various parameters can be remodeled and the exchange of information between Pirelli and the car manufacturers and, finally, has limited the number of physical prototypes and of the times of the road tests. Parameters that also benefit the realization of the PZero for other motorsport categories, from those for the World Rally (WRC) from which the runflats were born long ago to those of the track championships, for example the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe where the Hurácan Evo2.
From the new Formula 1 new inputs
Today this technical transfer not only continues, but is even more evident and profitable thanks to the adoption of 18 “tires in Formula 1 which are very similar to road tires, compared to the 13” used since the 1960s.
This change introduced by the Formula 1 regulations in force since the 2022 World Championship brings one of the most massive technical revolutions ever to the track after more than two years of research, experimentation and testing, because it has completely redefined single-seaters. Today’s Formula 1s are the fastest ever, just think that in several circuits there are sections where 350 per hour are exceeded, and they have to withstand loads never reached in acceleration, braking and, above all, cornering where they are sometimes exceeded. the 5g of lateral acceleration. All this happens with single-seaters that weigh over a ton more than a few years ago, which makes these stresses even more stressful, which for the tires translate into extreme operating conditions. The amount of data provided by the track experience and its accuracy, combined with real-time analysis capabilities obtained with maximum instrumental precision, guarantee an exceptional test and interpretation potential that further raise the level of experimentation and accelerate the evaluation and the possible adoption of new materials and structures.
In the first Grand Prix of this year the PZero F1 Pirelli have met these new parameters on every type of circuit, proving to be a technology transfer of exceptional importance from the races to the series that is faster and more technologically rich than in the past for an even more performing road production. and especially safe with tires 18 ”and up, which are now very popular.
Meeting between digital, virtual and real
Real-life stresses also come into play on the track: driving styles of many drivers, curbs, types of asphalt and different temperatures, as well as dry and wet surfaces. All factors that help optimize the development of road tires. For which the indoor R&D work is also important, to which Pirelli dedicates four underground floors in a large building in Milan Bicocca. Here is the test center, where there is a very advanced driving simulator like the one used by the Formula 1 teams, which allows you to program a virtual model of any car for any driving situation and any type of road condition to test and develop. the tires.