Milan - 07 Nov 2016 14:32 UTC

Round 20 of 21 Sao Paulo, Brazil, 11-13 November 2016

The penultimate round of the world championship takes place at the intense, rapid and colourful Interlagos circuit. Although resurfaced relatively recently, it still provides a massive challenge with a constant series of high-energy corners and the potential for some very high temperatures. As a result, the P Zero Orange hard tyre makes its final appearance of the 2016 season alongside the medium and the soft: a combination last seen in Japan.

THE CIRCUIT FROM A TYRE POINT OF VIEW:

• Interlagos is the second-shortest lap of the year, but probably the most intense as the cars are constantly cornering and dealing with traffic. This adds to the demands on the tyres.
• The resurfacing a couple of years ago increased grip levels and smoothed out the bumps.
• A very wide variety of weather conditions are possible, from intense heat to heavy rain.
• Interlagos is one of the few anti-clockwise circuits, with the right-rear tyre doing the most work.
• Tyres are often subjected to combined lateral and longitudinal forces, which increase demand.

THE THREE NOMINATED COMPOUNDS:

• Orange hard: used for only the fifth time in 2016. Mandatory set: must be available for the race.
• White medium: another mandatory set, which is set to form a key part of the race strategy.
• Yellow soft: despite the heavy demands of the track, this compound has raced in Brazil before.

HOW IT WAS A YEAR AGO:

• Nico Rosberg won the 71-lap race with a three-stop strategy, starting on soft and then stopping for mediums on laps 13, 33 and 48. The top three all stopped three times.
• Best alternative strategy: Kimi Raikkonen finished fourth with a two-stop strategy, starting on soft and then switching to mediums on laps 12 and 46.

PAUL HEMBERY, PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR:

“We’re seeing the hard tyres in Brazil for the first time since 2013, which should prove to be very effective against the high-energy demands of the track. In 2015 we had a three-stop race, so with the increase in performance and downforce this year, taking a harder tyre – which has nonetheless been a very rare occurrence this season – was the only sensible option to offer a number of different strategy variables. Balancing its durability against the extra performance of the softer compounds will hold the key to the race tactics. The weather will obviously play a big part in these calculations too.”

WHAT’S NEW?

• The Interlagos circuit recently had a major upgrade; meaning no further changes this year.
• Testing of the wider 2017 rain tyres continued for two days with Red Bull in Abu Dhabi last week.
• Pirelli has been announced as exclusive tyre supplier to the Bathurst 12 Hour race next year.
• Another exclusive deal for Pirelli means that it will supply Trans Am in the USA from 2017.

OTHER THINGS THAT HAVE CAUGHT OUR EYE RECENTLY:

• The championship title could be decided in Brazil, but only in Nico Rosberg’s favour.
• Both the Mercedes drivers have chosen identical tyre selections for Interlagos.

TYRES NOMINATED THIS YEAR:

	Purple	Red	Yellow	White	Orange
Australia		Supersoft	Soft	Medium
Bahrain		Supersoft	Soft	Medium
China		Supersoft	Soft	Medium
Russia		Supersoft	Soft	Medium
Spain			Soft	Medium	Hard
Monaco	Ultrasoft	Supersoft	Soft
Canada	Ultrasoft	Supersoft	Soft
Azerbaijan		Supersoft	Soft	Medium
Austria	Ultrasoft	Supersoft	Soft
Great Britain			Soft	Medium	Hard
Hungary		Supersoft	Soft	Medium
Germany		Supersoft	Soft	Medium
Belgium		Supersoft	Soft	Medium
Italy		Supersoft	Soft	Medium
Singapore	Ultrasoft	Supersoft	Soft
Malaysia			Soft	Medium	Hard
Japan			Soft	Medium	Hard
United States		Supersoft	Soft	Medium
Mexico		Supersoft	Soft	Medium
Brazil			Soft	Medium	Hard
Abu Dhabi	Ultrasoft	Supersoft	Soft