Guide to 2012 Pirelli F1 tyres

Pirelli has updated its tyre range for the 2012 Formula One season. The most obvious changes are the markings on the side, which hark back to the old Bridgestone look with a bold stripe around the sidewall. Keen observers will also note that the colours used for the intermediate tyres (now green) and full wets (now blue) have changed from the blue and orange used last year.

Wet weather tyres now wear Cinturato branding, while the slicks continue to carry the P Zero name. All tyres use a squarer profile, which should offer greater grip during cornering. With the exception of the Supersofts (red) all compounds have received a series of upgrades from their 2011 specs. This has been done to try and narrow the performance gap between the compounds.

Pirelli tell us they have also worked hard to improve rear-end grip, which should compensate for the expected loss in traction at the rear axle now that blown floors have been banned.

More detail can be read in this PDF (150kb) or by watching the short intro video after the break. The first pic after the video can be viewed at 3000px sizing; simply click on the image to open the bigger size.