As we know for the only tyre supplier for all upcoming next three years Formula 1 races, Pirelli presented its P Zero tyre which distinctly designed for any Ultra High Performances. This P Zero has several types for differentiating several needs of race purposes too. These types of purposes indicate by different logo of Pirelli and P Zero colors on the sidewall. Actually, there’s only two kind of tyre that should noticed for, they are dry and wet tyre. But Pirelli was giving six specific categories beside that major dry and wet. There are six different colors for six different types of tyres. Below this, I’ll explain these types one by one.
If we put through with those two major types, dry and wet, the dry type should became more specific in four types. They are Hard, Medium, Soft, and Super Soft. For the wet P Zero, they are Intermediate and Wet type.
Hard Tyres
This type of Formula 1 tyres presented with silver color. It designed for passing any tough condition along with the high endurance and offers the optimal grip for the tyre and the track surface properly. It contains about 170% index of hardness. For example, Italia Grand Prix (Monza) which claimed as one of the finest circuit was very suitable to choose these F1 Pirelli tyres. The hard tyres could be come along properly to pass through any tight chicanes and offers the effective gripping at the fast straight track for high speed or hard breaking on Monza.
Medium Tyres
This white colored writing of Pirelli tyre has 147 percents of hardness index. With it hard compound, this medium tyres was the common type that used in the early debut of P Zero. This medium tyre used in Formula 1 Suzuka circuit as the prime tyre on 9th October 2011 ago, by its abrasive surface of Japan track. For your information, Pirelli has some success contribution along with Suzuka circuit before, such as giving endurance grip on Suzuka Eight Hour motor bike race and used four times on Rally Japan with Japanese automotive manufacturer, Subaru.
Soft Tyres
P Zero soft tyre was made for speeding at the low level tyre degradation surface. As mentioned by Pirelli itself on website, this yellow tyre was used frequently in the qualifying. So do Mark Webber from Red Bull Team, he reach the quickest time by using this P Zero soft in Spanish Grand Prix on May. For the next Korean Grand Prix on 24th October later, this soft tyre would be the right choice for handling some bends, fast corner, and requires the low speed gripping with technical corners strategy. It means that every car needs to be set extremely versatile with optimal tyre, just like in Canada, Monaco, Hungary, and Singapore.
Super Soft Tyres
This tyre with red marked color of Pirelli’s logo would be very effective for any twisty tracks like Hungaroring and Monte Carlo. By its 100 percents index of hardness, this super soft P Zero doesn’t need a long time for warming up, so that any racer can speeding up their car at the beginning. But, there’s an exceptional on its durability, super soft tyre has the soft compound rubber that would work only for short period. This means it needs a race strategy for setting up the tyre carefully for each teams. At Singapore Grand Prix ago, this super soft tyre which combined with soft tyres were going smoothly well with high performances, especially for Sebastian Vettel who reached the pole position.
Wet Tyres
This orange tyre which has a deep groove on it was designed for expelling about 60 liters of water per second at three hundred kilometers per hour speed which proven the distinct differentiation with an usual car tyres that moving with slower speed and also only able to wiping out just about 10 liters of water per second. We must clearly remembered that on Canadian Grand Prix before, when the race started in rainy weather and all cars moving on with P Zero orange tyres firstly before they changes with the blue tyre.
Intermediate Tyres
These types if tyres provide light groove lines to spread out the waters, but this type considerably giving less handle on a dry track. This blue color marked tyres are made to discharge in excess of 20 liters water per second at three hundred kilometers per hour. On British Grand Prix before, Fernando Alonso from Ferarri team reported his first succeed with these P Zero blue tyres, this also his very first win of the season. He use this intermediate tyre at the beginning of the race which confirmed to be affordable on a various track in both damp and dry around 12 laps. And we all sure that he presented an amazing performance with this P Zero tyres.