2021 Dutch Grand Prix – Preview

WHY WE’VE CHOSEN THE TYRES

• The three hardest compounds in the P Zero range have been chosen for the fourth time this season, as Zandvoort and the Dutch Grand Prix return to the Formula 1 calendar after 36 years. The C1 is the P Zero White hard, the C2 is the P Zero Yellow medium, and the C3 is the P Zero Red soft.
• The return of the Dutch Grand Prix was initially scheduled for 2020 but postponed to this year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. With some high-energy corners and no relevant previous data to fall back on, the hardest tyres are the most suitable choice.

TRACK CHARACTERISTICS

• The Zandvoort circuit looks somewhat different to the track that last hosted Formula 1 in 1985. In particular, turns 3 and 14 (named after former circuit director John Hugenholtz and Dutch driver Arie Luyendyk respectively) are now banked at around 19 degrees. That’s roughly double the banking at Indianapolis, which is about nine degrees – meaning that the cars will be able to take these corners much faster than they did in the past, with more energy going through the tyres.
• Turn 14 is taken flat-out, generating forces in excess of 4g, while there are two corners with heavy braking of around 5g: the entries into Turn 1 and Turn 11. Turn 7 is another corner that generates lateral forces of about 5g, taken at over 260kph. This leads immediately into Turns 8 and 9, completing a sequence of three consecutive corners with high g forces.
• As expected from a circuit that was originally inaugurated back in 1948, Zandvoort has a distinctly old-school feel to it, with fast and narrow turns, along with a number of elevation changes.
• One of the most famous corners is the Tarzan hairpin: the first corner of the lap, which is now closer to the start-finish line than it was previously. The Hans Ernst bend towards the end of the lap also has a wider exit than it did before, enabling drivers to get on the power sooner.
• Zandvoort is located in an area of sand dunes near the beach, with the wind sometimes blowing sand onto the track and affecting grip; an issue normally associated with places like Bahrain.

FORMULA 3: WHAT TO EXPECT

The Formula 3 championship continues at Zandvoort, just a week after the last race at Spa, using the P Zero White hard tyre. Only one compound is used at every race meeting, as per the regulations, with five of the 10 rounds this year nominating the hard and the other five using the medium. With the big demands of Zandvoort’s banked corners taking a lot of energy out of the tyres, the tyre structure is placed under heavy load – especially as there are no mandatory pit stops in Formula 3. There isn’t a carry-over set from Spa for free practice this weekend: instead the drivers get an extra new set of hard tyres.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“The Dutch Grand Prix is obviously a new challenge but thanks to the data provided by Formula 1 and the teams, we have been able to come up with a tyre nomination and prescriptions that are closely aligned to what we can expect from this exciting new venue. Being a new track, the free practice sessions will also be essential when it comes to gathering real data and formulating the tyre strategy for the race. What's for sure is that the circuit layout is going to place heavy demands on the tyres, as can be seen from the computer simulations that we have already carried out. We’ve already raced at Zandvoort in the GT World Challenge this year, and this too has provided us with some useful information.”

OTHER PIRELLI NEWS

• Friday won’t be exactly the first time that Pirelli tyres have circulated at Zandvoort in the modern era on a Formula 1 car: last year, Max Verstappen completed a demonstration lap in a 2012-specification Red Bull RB8.
• The GT World Challenge Sprint Cup resumes during the same weekend as the Dutch Grand Prix, at Brands Hatch – which last hosted the British Grand Prix in 1986.
• Pirelli has revealed new bespoke track-only P Zero tyres for the new Dallara Stradale EXP, which recently lapped Mugello in 1m45s, using Formula 1-derived tyre technology.