Pirelli Unveils 'P Zero R' Tire for F1® Official Safety Car

Pirelli has unveiled the 'P Zero R' tire for the F1® Official Safety Car. The dedicated vehicle is the 'Mercedes-AMG GT 63 PRO 4MATIC+,' the first official Safety Car in FIA F1®, and it is equipped with a fully variable all-wheel-drive system. The P Zero R is an ultra-high-performance tire.

The new P Zero R is designed to deliver qualifying-level performance on dry roads and precise steering response, while also providing stable handling on wet surfaces. It was also developed with the goal of delivering consistent performance when deployed as an F1® Safety Car. The key factors in Safety Car deployment are precision, reliability, and control.

To that end, a dual-compound tread and Virtualisation technology were applied, and a dedicated tread pattern optimized for the vehicle was also developed.

The tire was co-developed with Mercedes-AMG engineers in Affalterbach, Germany, and Pirelli's virtual simulation model was used to refine the design. The design incorporated two compounds, the land-to-groove ratio, and pattern channel width, and these elements were aligned with the vehicle's suspension geometry and camber. This was intended to optimize the tire contact patch across a range of driving conditions, while maintaining wet performance and improving grip, steering precision, and high-speed stability.

Pirelli has been the exclusive tire supplier to F1® since 2011, and it recently extended its partnership with FIA and F1® through 2028. The origins of the Pirelli-F1 collaboration date back to the first race in F1's inaugural 1950 season, and Pirelli supplies tires as well as develops related technology for the FIA Formula One World Championship™. Pirelli is approaching its 500th Grand Prix start in 2025, and it uses technology accumulated on the circuit to develop high-performance tires for public roads.

The 21-inch P Zero R for the 'Mercedes-AMG GT 63 PRO 4MATIC+' is designed to effectively transfer the power of its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine, which produces 450 kW (612 horsepower) and 850 Nm of torque, to the road. The tire was developed to reflect the driving characteristics of the fully variable AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel-drive system, and it was also designed to ensure stability under conditions of rapid Load Transfer.

The P Zero R was also engineered with circuit driving in mind, incorporating grip, steering response, and performance consistency as design elements, and veteran drivers took part in the development process. They included AMG brand ambassador and official FIA F1® Safety Car driver Bernd Mayländer, who carried out driving tests at the Nürburgring and the Nardò track, evaluating tire lap-time consistency and grip under various driving conditions.

Pirelli and Mercedes-AMG have operated a Co-development process for joint tire design since the early stages of vehicle development. The two companies have completed more than 150 OE homologations, applying Pirelli's Perfect Fit philosophy throughout the process. The sidewall of the tire for the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 PRO 4MATIC+ carries the dedicated development marking 'MO1.'

This collaboration is also underscored by the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, which served as the official FIA F1® Safety Car from 2022 to 2026, with Pirelli P Zero tires fitted to that Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series. Another example of the partnership is the Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 4MATIC+, which was fitted with Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tires and recorded a lap time of 7 minutes 32.070 seconds on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, giving it the title of the fastest production four-door sedan in its class around the circuit.

Source: TECHWORLD · Kim Kyung-joo
Original: https://www.epnc.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=408018

References

• https://www.epnc.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=408018