2022 Brazilian Grand Prix - Preview
“The three compounds in the middle of the range for a circuit where we expect a lot of overtaking”
“Formula 1 heads to Interlagos next weekend: the shortest lap of the year after Monaco and Mexico. It’s a historic track run anti-clockwise, which alternates some quick sections as well as medium-speed sequences of corners, such as the famous ‘Senna esses’. There aren’t any big demands on the tyres in terms of traction and braking because it’s a very flowing layout, and the lack of slow corners means that the teams are able to control the degradation on the rear tyres. Brazil will host the “Sprint” also this year, the last of the season, and it will be particularly interesting with this car package to see what will happen on the track and, once again, the key role of the different strategies that can be used: in 2021 the grid on Saturday was equally split between drivers starting on the medium and the soft tyres. Despite the short length of the track, there’s normally plenty of overtaking. Just think of Lewis Hamilton who was the protagonist of a comeback that brought him to victory from 10th place, using a two-stop strategy. So the new generation of cars and tyres seems set to provide us with another thrilling race this year.”
THE TYRES ON TRACK
- Pirelli will bring the three compounds in the middle of the range to the Brazilian Grand Prix: C2 will be the P Zero White hard, C3 will be the P Zero Yellow medium, and C4 will be the P Zero Red soft. The previous two races in Austin and Mexico City used the same selection.
- Interlagos will host the third and final F1 Sprint race of the season, after Imola and Spielberg. As a result, the Pirelli Pole Position Award will be given out on Friday after qualifying.
- The Autodromo José Carlos Pace, named after the famous Brazilian driver of Italian origin, runs anti-clockwise and contains 15 corners, which place medium lateral demands on the tyres.
- The Brazilian Grand Prix is well-known for plenty of overtaking and frequent appearances from the safety car. The weather is always another question mark, with torrential rain as well as high temperatures and sunshine seen in previous years.
- The teams used varying strategies in 2021 but the drivers on the podium all stopped twice. Lewis Hamilton, the winner, finished the race on P Zero White hard ahead of Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas on the same compound.
WRC
The World Rally Championship concludes in Japan on the same weekend as the Brazilian Grand Prix, with Pirelli as sole tyre supplier. The special stages of Rally Japan are split around five different cities in the prefectures of Aichi and Gifu. Toyota clinched the 2022 WRC constructors’ title at the previous round in Spain, which was won by Sebastien Ogier.
GT
Italian driver Raffaele Marciello has won the German ADAC GT Masters championship, exclusively supplied by Pirelli. The Mercedes driver clinched the title at the final round in Hockenheim, adding to his 2022 GT World Challenge title.
FIA Motorsport Games
The FIA Motorsport Games took place at Paul Ricard last weekend, involving drivers and teams from 28 different nations. Pirelli was the event’s official tyre supplier, bringing 3.300 tyres for all the different disciplines. Italy won the 2022 edition, collecting three gold and one silver medal.