The GP2 drivers return to the world stage following a four-week summer break ready to take on Spa: one of the fastest and most demanding rounds on the calendar. Round eight of the GP2 series, Spa is the longest circuit of the year and will challenge drivers as they tackle a seven-kilometre lap that include 19 turns. Pirelli has nominated the P Zero Orange hard and P Zero Yellow soft compounds to combat the wide-ranging demands of Spa and its changeable weather conditions.
Pirelli’s racing manager says:
Mario Isola: “Spa is the ultimate test of skill for the GP2 drivers, as well as our Pirelli tyres. Everyone knows that Spa is demanding: it’s like a rollercoaster with the number of twists and turns it imposes and the smallest mistake can prove costly. The hard and soft compound tyres seemed the best solution and they should be well suited to deal with the high-energy demands and fast compressions that characterise this race. We have made this choice in order to encourage a variety of strategies, as we expect to see a difference in lap time of around one second between the two compounds. This nomination also allows the drivers to cope with different weather conditions – a frequent occurrence in Spa – as the compounds in GP2 do not have the same working ranges as their equivalents in Formula One.”
The challenge for the tyres:
Spa is one of the most awesome racetracks in the world due to its fast flowing nature, which sees the drivers on full throttle for approximately 80% of the lap. At such high speeds, the tyres are understandably put under huge amounts of pressure.
One of the main issues is that high speeds and aggressive camber angles can cause blistering as heat builds up around the edges of the tyres. The big compression at Eau Rouge also puts a huge amount of energy through the tyres, in terms of both lateral and longitudinal forces.
As well as several high-speed corners, Spa is often characterised by varying climatic conditions, which means that the Cinturato intermediate and full wet weather tyres could be called into play at any moment.
About Spa-Francorchamps:
Located near Liege in the east of Belgium, Spa is a favourite amongst drivers and fans alike due to its spectacular turns, rapid changes of elevation and breath-taking scenery. First opened in 1922 at over 15 kilometres in length, the circuit has been modified several times since and now stands at just over seven kilometres. Last year, Marcus Ericsson (iSport International) and Josef Král (Addax Team) were the GP2 winners at Spa.
Pirelli Press Release
