The defining characteristic of the Spa-Francorchamps (Spa) course, located in
the foothills of the Ardennes in Belgiums, is variable weather. At the Spa
last weekend, "the champions of tomorrow learned some hard lessons," says
Mario Isola, Pirelli's racing manager, who supplied the medium compound P
Zero 13-inch tire, which is designed to cope with a wide range of weather
conditions. The company's rain tire also played a starring role.
The purpose of the he newly-created GP3 Series is to train young drivers for
the demands they will face at the pinnacle of single-seater racing in the
future, such as Formula One, which will be supplied with Pirelli's tires
beginning next year.
Qualifying on Saturday morning provided a taste of what was to come, as it
was held on a wet track that progressively dried out. Consequently, drivers
started the session on rain tires before coming in to switch to slick tires
as a dry line emerged.
"From a technical point of view it was a very interesting session, as it
allowed us to evaluate the performance of our tires on a drying track, and
assess at which point slick tires became quicker," Isola reports.
The first race on Saturday afternoon was interrupted by safety cars and
torrential rain. When the rain hit, nearly all the competitors dived into the
pits to change to wet tires.
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But pole-sitter Robert Wickens stayed out on slicks to take the lead, and
because of a safety car, none of the other competitors were allowed to
overtake him. The Status Grand Prix driver judged his pace to ensure that the
maximum permitted time limit for the race would be reached so that it could
end under the safety car and give him victory.
The second race on Sunday morning was won by Adrien Tambay, the son of former
Formula One driver Patrick Tambay. The Frenchman was quickest in Friday
practice but started Sunday's race from 27th on the grid.
Again the race was hit by rain halfway through, but Tambay managed to drive
through the shower and then take advantage of his P Zero slicks when the
track dried out again. With most other drivers having chosen to pit for rain
tires, Tambay claimed a tactical victory.
"Our tires were at the center of the action," says Isola, "which featured two
of the most unusual and entertaining races that we have seen so far this GP3
season."
He notes that "the performance of Robert Wickens on Saturday and Adrien
Tambay on Sunday proved that our medium compound P Zero slick tires were able
to stay on the road even in mixed conditions. Both drivers managed to use the
rain to their advantage even while running on our slick tires. We are
delighted to see that GP3 is fulfilling its role of teaching drivers not only
about close competition but also about racecraft in challenging
conditions."
The final two races of the eight-round GP3 series take place on home
territory for Pirelli at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza on Sept. 11-
12.
For more information, visit www.us.pirelli.com.
