The third consecutive street circuit on this years Formula One calendar, the Grand Prix of Europe, contains the highest number of corners of any track all year (25) and is likely to be run in high temperatures meaning that the P Zero White medium tyres and P Zero Yellow soft tyres have been nominated.
This combination highlights both the durability and performance of the tyres, on a circuit where overtaking is notoriously difficult. Just like Monaco, qualifying will be crucial, and the speed of the soft tyre will be vital when it comes to boosting drivers up the start order. In the race, the strength and consistency of the medium tyre will form an essential part of the strategy.
Many of the corners are fast and flow into each other, making overtaking difficult as there is little room for manoeuvre and not a huge speed differential between the cars. The final sequence of corners is taken in rapid succession at 290kph, followed by a heavy braking area into the last corner where the cars go from 310 to 60kph in less than 130 metres. The deceleration peaks at 5.2g, with a big risk of locking up a wheel, but the layout of the corner means that it is still not easy to pass the car in front.
This will put the emphasis on strategy, as cars try to get past each other in the pits as well as on the track. Last year, the frontrunners all adopted the same strategy: starting on the soft tyre and stopping three times before completing a final stint on the medium tyre. With the cars more closely matched than ever, the right tactics will be even more important this time.
Like all street circuits, the track evolution over the course of the weekend will be notable as more and more rubber is laid down.
Pirellis motorsport director Paul Hembery: "Valencia could not present a bigger contrast to the street circuits that have come before it: the track is faster and the temperatures higher, with plenty of energy going through the tyres. What it has in common with the others is the difficulty of overtaking, which will put the emphasis on qualifying. So we are expecting a fairly straightforward race, with either two or three stops depending on which tactics the teams use although one team tried a one-stopper last year as well. The weather should be consistently warm throughout the weekend, which should lead to fewer variables in terms of temperature, so there probably wont be many big surprises to emerge. We've used the combination of soft and medium tyres more than any other line-up so far this year, as it has shown itself to be a perfect compromise between performance and durability, allowing drivers to show their speed when they need to but also benefit from longer stints in the race."
Pirellis test driver Jaime Alguersuari: "Valencia is a circuit that I like a lot, but of course I am biased because it is another home race for me! It's a very challenging track because of all the variety of corners and the fact that it's so difficult to overtake, with no room at all to make a mistake. It's what I would call a 'stop and start' track, because this is where you make all the time, but obviously all the traction and braking is hard work for the tyres: in that respect it is a little bit like Canada. Combined traction is the most important element to a quick lap, together with a good top speed. It's a track that we tend to run with low downforce, and this is another factor that influences the tyre wear as well."
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Dutch Grand Prix
I. Hadjar
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