Vettel, who started from the pole position after driving the fastest-ever lap of the event, notes that “we have to make some compliments to Pirelli.”
The company is in its first season of a three-year agreement to supply Formula One’s tires.
The competitors took just two to three pit stops per car and tabulated a total race time that was three minutes quicker than last year’s, “underlining the performance of the P Zero tires,” according to Paul Hembery, Pirelli’s motorsports director.
“At the end of it we have three drivers from different teams standing on the podium, all of whom performed outstandingly,” Hembery says.“I think that the same can be said of our tires too: We had no issues whatsoever and the degradation was less than expected, meaning that most drivers – including the top three – chose a two-stop strategy, as we had predicted,” he notes. “We also saw a wide spread of strategies ranging from one stops to three, giving the teams the opportunity to think creatively about their race management.”
Hembery goes on to point out that “we’re not about to rest on our laurels, though. We’re already thinking ahead now to the next race in Malaysia, which will provide us with a new and different challenge.”
For more information, visit www.us.pirelli.com.
