THE NEW DRY WEATHER P ZERO AND THE CINTURATO WET PASS THE TOUGH GTWC EUROPE TEST
The group test at Le Castellet’s Paul Ricard circuit, which ended yesterday, featured rain and a track that was flooded for much of the time on the first day, with only weak sunshine above a mostly dry track on the second. It marked the official start of the GTWC Europe season. The test featured the new P Zero DHG tyres for dry conditions and the Cinturato WHB for the wet, which were given a thorough test by the 57 GT cars taking part in this Prologue. Over two days, the cars between them completed 10,320 laps, equivalent to over 57,000 kilometres, in all kinds of weather, requiring use of all types of tyre.
The Pirelli engineers acquired an impressive amount of data, working at the track with a mobile laboratory in which the evolution of the tyres could be analysed in real time at the end of the sessions. This allowed for an immediate look at the performance and behaviour of the new tyres and it confirmed their reliability and performance under different conditions.
Matteo Braga, Circuit Activity Manager Pirelli: “The unexpected changeable weather in the South of France over these two days meant we were able to test both the new dry tyres as well as the wet weather ones in tough conditions. Over the four test sessions we actually encountered heavy rain, cold, wind, sunshine, a dry track, and a drying track which allowed the teams to get an understanding of the product and collect valuable data for the forthcoming seasons. For our part, we can say that what we have seen in Le Castellet confirms the positive results of the tests carried out in the development phase.”
Monday, the quickest times were set by the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO 2, which posted a 1:55.186 in the morning and a 1:59.374 in the afternoon. Yesterday, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO topped the time sheet in 1:53.657, while in the afternoon, the McLaren 720S GT3 EVO set a time of 1:53.602.
The GTWC will next be back in action over the weekend of 11-13 April, again at Le Castellet for the first race of the season.
THE NEW PIRELLI GT RANGE
The tyres for GT2, GT3 and GT4 cars in all championships supplied by Pirelli have several new features for the 2025 season.
In particular, the new DHG, available to the GT3 cars is manufactured using innovative materials that deliver a wider working range, quicker warm-up and more consistency in terms of car balance over long distance. As for the DHG tyres for the GT2 and GT4 cars, apart from having the same new materials as the GT3 range, are different to the previous generation in terms of their carcass, with an optimised profile and construction to ensure a more uniform footprint in all track conditions and for all cars.
Introduced in 2024 solely for the GT2 cars and in some championships also for GT3, the latest evolution of Pirelli’s wet weather tyre for this season will be the standard across the board for all GT cars in the main championships this year. The Cinturato WHB features a new, stiffer tread design than the previous generation, thanks to the use of innovative materials. The new compounds have contributed to improving the footprint, while optimising grip and warm-up at low temperatures. The stability in the transition from wet to dry conditions has not been compromised, nor has its sensitivity to aquaplaning, which has in fact improved. Finally, its operating window in a race has been expanded.
FSC™1 CERTIFICATION
The tyres supplied to Formula 1* by Pirelli were the first in any form of motorsport to use FSC™- certified natural rubber, and now the entire range for GT cars will also carry the Forest Stewardship Council™ logo. This indicates that all the natural rubber used in the tyres2 comes from plantations that are managed to ensure biodiversity, as well as benefiting the people who live and work in these areas. This stringent FSC™ certification process ensures that all certified material is kept separate from that which is not certified throughout the supply chain from the plantation to the tyre manufacturer.
(1) Pirelli tyres (FSC™N003618) are FSC™-certified as MIX Natural Rubber. This shows that they are manufactured from a combination of natural and synthetic rubber, conforming with FSC™ ADVICE-40-004-15.
(2) the equivalent of 17 percent of the total weight of the tyre
