19
November
2014
|
12:18
Europe/Amsterdam

Medium and supersoft for GP2, soft for GP3 at Abu Dhabi finale

Abu Dhabi forms a spectacular backdrop to the finale of both the GP2 and GP3 Series, equipped by Pirelli, as a stepping-stone to Formula One. While the GP2 Series was wrapped up by DAMS driver Jolyon Palmer in Russia, the GP3 Series is yet to reach its conclusion, with Carlin’s Alex Lynn leading the championship.

The GP2 title was won in Russia
but there'll be action aplenty in Abu Dhabi

At the smooth Abu Dhabi circuit, characterised by warm weather, fast straights and 90-degree corners, the GP2 drivers will have the medium and supersoft tyres at their disposal, with a significant performance gap expected between the two compounds. The GP3 drivers will use the soft compound only. Unlike Formula One, where the race starts in the late afternoon and ends in the evening, GP2 and GP3 will race at various times during the weekend. The GP2 race on Saturday takes place in the evening, while Sunday’s race is in the heat of the day. Both GP3 races take place during the day. With practice scheduled for the morning, teams in both series will have to cope with a wide variety of track and ambient temperatures. As a result, conditions in practice and qualifying will not necessarily be representative of what drivers are likely to find in the race – making the strategy very hard to calculate. Pirelli’s racing manager says: Mario Isola: “The varying conditions are likely to be the biggest challenge for the GP2 and GP3 drivers at Abu Dhabi, and this means that drivers have to adapt their driving style to extract the maximum performance from the package. As the championship is decided in GP2, we can look forward to a straight fight for victory, with nothing else at stake apart from race wins. In GP3, the title is yet to be completely settled, so how the protagonists decide to manage their tyres will be crucial to the race. Track evolution affects the support championships even more than Formula One, as they are first onto the track. In GP2, the big challenge as ever will consist in getting the most out of the softer compound in qualifying, despite not having driven on it extensively beforehand due to the limited allocation available. There is likely to be quite a significant gap between the medium and supersoft compounds, meaning that the teams are likely to use the supersoft almost like a qualifying tyre, although of course both compounds must be used during Saturday’s race. With both GP2 and GP3 drawing to a close, we're delighted to take part in a number of promotional activities in Abu Dhabi that showcase both series, such as the GP2 pit stop challenge on Thursday, and of course the Pirelli scholarship cheque that we will hand out to the highest placed GP3 driver at the official prize-giving on Sunday.” The challenge for the tyres: With a number of 90-degree corners leading onto straights, traction is one of the most crucial aspects of Abu Dhabi. While the surface is only mildly abrasive, drivers must take extra care to avoid wheelspin, which takes life out of the rear tyres. After the races, there will be a GP2 and GP3 test from Thursday to Saturday next week. The set-up used for Abu Dhabi tends to be medium downforce in order not to compromise top speed on the straights. This places the emphasis on mechanical grip from the tyres through the 21 corners. The race and the rules: GP2 Every car will have five sets of dry tyres and three sets of wet weather tyres available for the GP2 race weekend. The five sets of dry tyres comprise three sets of the harder compound (medium) and two sets of the softer compound (supersoft).

Alex Lynn has one hand on the GP3 title
heading to the Abu Dhabi finale

The drivers can use their tyre allocation in any way they like, but at least one set of each compound must be used in the feature race (unless it is a wet race). One set of the medium compound must be returned after free practice. Qualifying takes place at 19:00 on Friday, after practice at 11:15. Race One on Saturday is run at 18:40 over 34 laps and each driver must complete one compulsory pit stop. This cannot take place within the first six laps. The grid for Race Two on Sunday at 14:20 is determined by the finishing order of the first race, with the top eight positions reversed. Race Two is run over 22 laps, with no compulsory pit stops. GP3 Every car will have three sets of dry tyres and two sets of wet weather tyres available for the GP3 race weekend. Only one compound is nominated: soft for this weekend. The drivers can use the tyre allocation in any way they like. All the GP3 compounds carry yellow markings. Drivers are allowed to carry over one tyre set from the previous round for use in free practice only. This will be the medium compound, as used in Russia. There is one practice session, one qualifying session and two races in GP3. Qualifying takes place at 15:00 on Friday afternoon, after a single free practice session at 10:00. Race One starts at 12:05 on Saturday and lasts for 14 laps, followed by Race Two at 13:00 on Sunday (also 17 laps). The grid for Race Two is determined by the finishing order of the first race, with the top eight positions reversed. Copyright-free videos, photos as well as latest media news are available for editorial use from: www.pirelli.com/f1pressarea. Follow us on Twitter @pirellisport or Facebook: Pirelli Motorsport. Please also visit the Pirelli website for more information on the company: www.pirelli.com.

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For further information please contact: Roberto Boccafogli • +39 335 125 6694 • roberto.boccafogli@pirelli.com (Head of F1 Press Office) Francescopaolo Tarallo • +39 334 684 4307 • francescopaolo.tarallo@pirelli.com (Head of Product and Motorsport Communication) Alexandra Schieren • +33 607 03 69 03 • alexandra.schieren@pirelli.com Anthony Peacock • +44 7765 896 930 • anthony@mediaticaworld.com