The force will be strong on Pirelli tires in Canada GP

ERJ staff report (TP)

Montreal, Canada – Pirelli's P Zero Yellow soft and P Zero Red supersoft tires are nominated for the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, 5-8 June.

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a semi-permanent facility – combining bespoke sections of track with normal park roads. Montreal is very different to Monaco, with much higher average speeds, changeable weather conditions, and a low-grip surface that often catches out even the most experienced drivers – many of whom have had contact with the famous ‘wall of champions’ in the past.

Other important factors affecting the tires include braking, with heat from the brakes warming up the tires. There are also some notable kerbs, which force the tire to absorb impacts as part of the car’s suspension.

Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director, said: “We’re expecting the tires to be worked a lot harder in Canada than they were in Monaco, with a lot more energy and greater forces going through them due to much higher speeds.”

Sebastian Vettel won for Red Bull last year, having qualified on pole. He claimed victory with a two-stop strategy (supersoft-medium-medium) having used the intermediate tire in a wet qualifying session.

While Pirelli is nominating the soft rather than the medium tire alongside the supersoft this year, all the 2014 compounds are slightly harder than their predecessors.