In the round-up: Formula 1’s official tyre supplier Pirelli says its decision not to continue supplying rubber to the World Rally Championship is not linked to its future in grand prix racing. In brief Pirelli WRC exit not linked to F1 future The FIA is poised to decide which manufacturer has been selected as F1’s tyre supplier for the 2025 to 2027 seasons. Pirelli is understood to have submitted an application as well as former F1 tyre supplier Bridgestone. Earlier this month Pirelli confirmed it would not seek to extend its deal to supply tyres to the World Rally Championship. But its head of motor sport Mario Isola said this decision is not linked to it’s future participation in F1. “We have a team dedicated to WRC and we believe that in this period we got what we wanted in terms of being a part of the sport,” said Isola. “The team that is looking after WRC, or rallying in general, is not the same team that we have for Formula 1.” Pirelli is in its 13th consecutive year … [Read more...] about Pirelli deny WRC pull-out linked to F1 future as it awaits FIA’s decision
Tyre pressures pirelli
Are Red Bull and Ferrari on back foot for potential Japanese GP tyre wrecker?
The iconic figure-of-eight track has always been punishing on its rubber, but things could well be a bit more extreme this time around. Race day is expected to be another scorcher, and complaints that George Russell mentioned on Friday about a "strange" sliding have been caused by a track surface that has had a 15% drop in macro roughness (so effective grip) compared to 12 months ago. As Ferrari's Charles Leclerc said: "Especially with the very warm temperatures this year, the overheating is really, really bad. So, I expect that it [the race] will be all about the tyre management and the strategy." A two-stopper looks nailed on then, but it comes with not all teams having the luxury of what appears to be the ideal tyre allocation to get them through without much drama. F1 tyre supplier Pirelli thinks the best approach to the race is to start on the soft, run through until laps 12-18, and then split the rest of the grand prix up into two hard stints. But that is … [Read more...] about Are Red Bull and Ferrari on back foot for potential Japanese GP tyre wrecker?
Abt calls for action against DTM teams using sunlight to heat tyres
Amid struggles to get temperatures into Pirelli tyres that are new to the DTM for 2023, teams have come up with creative ways to circumvent the ban on using electric blankets. According to Autosport's sister website Motorsport-Total.com, several teams have been found leaving the garage doors wide open and placing tyres in a way to take advantage of direct sunlight. Teams also appear to have used tyre tents to heat up the Pirelli rubber. Some outfits use a black tarpaulin for this purpose, which can store more heat in direct sunlight than a white-coloured tent. Another clever trick involves teams placing tyres early on the grid trolley, which happens to be positioned in the sun outside the pit. These incidents were recorded most recently at the Lausitzring and the Sachsenring rounds and appear to be in contravention of the rules. Article 25.1 of the DTM regulations for the 2023 season states that "any device or measure to increase the tyre temperature above the ambient … [Read more...] about Abt calls for action against DTM teams using sunlight to heat tyres
Russell says “strange” Suzuka surface causing massive F1 tyre degradation
The Mercedes driver said that the opening day of practice on Friday had been a puzzling one, as there was so little grip on offer. Speaking after ending second practice in fifth spot for Mercedes, 0.6 seconds adrift of pace-setter Max Verstappen , Russell said that it had not been a normal day of action. He suggested that the asphalt, which includes newly laid sections through Turns 3, 4 and 7, was not behaving as anticipated. "There seems to be a huge amount of tyre degradation," he said. "It's really weird in Suzuka. "It is one of the best tracks in the world to drive, but this year it feels like the tarmac has really broken up and the cars are sliding on top of the surface. "It's given a bit of a strange feeling to all the drivers out there, and that's what's contributing towards that tyre degradation." With Pirelli bringing the hardest of its compounds to Japan, low degradation could have moved it towards a one-stop. Russell thinks at the moment that, while he … [Read more...] about Russell says “strange” Suzuka surface causing massive F1 tyre degradation
What we learned from Friday practice at the F1 Japanese GP
Max Verstappen's headline times in both of Friday's Formula 1 practice sessions at the Japanese Grand Prix proved that Red Bull's misfortune in Singapore was a mere blip. The championship leader atoned for a difficult weekend at the Marina Bay Circuit last time out by stamping his authority on FP1, capturing a 1m31.647s to sit above Singapore winner Carlos Sainz by 0.6s as Ferrari continued its recent resurgence with the runner-up spot in the noon-time session. He proceeded to claim FP2 over the other Ferrari in the afternoon, outpacing Charles Leclerc by the smaller margin of 0.3s with a 1m30.688s while Lando Norris sat in the top three of both sessions to demonstrate McLaren's credentials as a podium contender at Suzuka. Verstappen's efforts were in stark contrast to those of his team-mate Sergio Perez , who languished down the order relative to his team-mate having been more than a second behind in both sessions. The story of the day Lewis Hamilton … [Read more...] about What we learned from Friday practice at the F1 Japanese GP
Singapore GP – The thin line between success and failure
Formula 1’s first night race in Singapore has been a massive success. In a season of great Grands Prix, this was another classic race. Once again it turned on a safety car and showed the importance of race strategy in determining the outcome. And as far as the championship is concerned it showed that the team which makes the fewest mistakes will win the title. Ferrari had the pace to get a 1-2 finish here and before Nelson Piquet’s accident triggered a safety car on lap 16, it looked very much as though Kimi Raikkonen would jump Lewis Hamilton in the pit stop and back his team mate Massa up to the finish. The Ferrari was half a second a lap faster than the McLaren in the opening stint and Lewis was looking down the barrel of a whooping from Ferrari. Without the pit stop foul-up for Massa, Lewis would have left here three points behind the Brazilian with three races to go. But the safety car and the subsequent dash for the pits changed everything. It wrecked Kubica’s race … [Read more...] about Singapore GP – The thin line between success and failure
10 things we learned from the 2023 MotoGP Indian Grand Prix
Months of uncertainty marred the build-up to MotoGP’s inaugural Indian adventure at the Buddh International Circuit, as requested track works had only recently been completed. Homologation was made official only on the Thursday of the grand prix, while the riders had already decided to unite if they felt the safety standards of the venue were not up to scratch. Thankfully, everything went off without too many problems and MotoGP’s first Indian GP was a truly memorable affair. VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi positioned himself as a genuine championship threat with a dominant grand prix victory, while Jorge Martin’s consistency continued. A mistake for championship leader Francesco Bagnaia in Sunday’s race wiped out his championship advantage, bringing to just 13 points as Martin fought through dehydration to finish second. Elsewhere, the Japanese manufacturers put on a strong showing as Fabio Quartararo scored his first grand prix podium since Austin, while Joan Mir ended … [Read more...] about 10 things we learned from the 2023 MotoGP Indian Grand Prix
Citroen C3 Aircross SUV Reaches Dealerships Across India – Prices Start At Rs 9.99 Lakh
Home Four wheelers oi-Athul By Athul Published: Thursday, September 21, 2023, 9:41 [IST] The newly launched Citroen C3 Aircross SUV has started reaching Citroen dealerships across India. Prices for this newly launched SUV start at Rs 9.99 lakh (ex-showroom) and the model is available in three trim levels. Citroen India has high hopes for the C3 Aircross SUV, given the model is the only SUV in its segment to offer 3 rows of seating space. Also, the aggressive pricing ensures the model does not go unnoticed in the highly competitive segment. Some of its primary rivals include Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, and Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara. That being said, interested buyers can now book the Citroen C3 Aircross SUV by paying a token amount of Rs 25,000. Speaking about the Citroen C3 Aircross, this new French SUV is powered by a 1.2-litre, turbocharged petrol engine with 108bhp and 190Nm of torque. Furthermore, this engine comes … [Read more...] about Citroen C3 Aircross SUV Reaches Dealerships Across India – Prices Start At Rs 9.99 Lakh
It’s advantage McLaren in the strategy game at the Japanese Grand Prix
With Pirelli predicting the best strategy for the Japanese Grand Prix will be a two-stop of soft-hard-hard, it’s advantage McLaren as the Woking team is one of only three outfits where both drivers have those tyres in hand. Oscar Piastri will line up alongside Max Verstappen on the front row of the Japanese Grand Prix, the Aussie having grabbed a career-best grid slot, with Lando Norris sitting third. But while the McLarens didn’t have the pace to challenge Verstappen on Saturday as the reigning World Champion crossed the line an incredible 0.581s faster, they could try for a two-pronged attack on Sunday. McLaren: The only way we can attack Max is tactical And according to Pirelli they have the tyres do it. Formula 1’s tyre supplier believes the best strategy for the Suzuka race is a two-stopper with the driver starting on the soft tyres and then slitting the rest between two sets of hard tyres. On a weekend in which the drivers dealt with high temperatures and … [Read more...] about It’s advantage McLaren in the strategy game at the Japanese Grand Prix