In Canada, the soft and the supersoft tire will be used as prime and option respectively as is the case in Monaco, where the supersoft tire is making its debut.
In Valencia, Spain, the street circuit that hosts the Grand Prix of Europe, the medium tire will make its debut as the prime with the supersoft as the option.
In Britain, the race that marks the halfway point of the 2011 season, the hard and soft tires will be prime and option respectively, mirroring the choices made for the first five races of the season.
Montreal, a race where tires have traditionally played a major role, has similar characteristics to Monaco in terms of grip and traction, which is why the same selections of soft and supersoft have been made.
Valencia is a street circuit that is faster than Monaco, which means that the medium tire can make its debut. Representing a compromise between the hard and the soft tire, the medium P Zero – denoted by white markings – is ideally suited to the characteristics of the surface and the likely weather conditions, according to Paul Hembery, Pirelli’s motorsports director.
Silverstone is one of the fastest tracks of the entire calendar, with the well-proven hard and soft tires covering all the demands that this circuit makes on the rubber, he says.
“When calculating which tires we will bring to every circuit, we bear a number of factors in mind such as the weather conditions and the nature of the surface,” Hembery explains.
“We then make sure that we select two tires that will complement each other in terms of racing spectacle and potential strategies as well,” he continues, “so we’ve come up with tire nominations that should not only be well suited to the characteristics of each circuit but also provide a great race for the drivers and spectators, with plenty of scope for the teams to exercise their strategic skills.”
Hembery goes on to note that “selecting the tires is a very tough job for us. As in Montreal, Valencia and Silverstone, we have no historical data, but we’re feeling confident that the choices we have made, in close consultation with the teams and the FIA, should continue the Pirelli tradition of close racing that we have seen so far this year.”
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