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LEO PARENTE: When you get invited to an F1 race like
Monza, you have to go.
It's Monza.
Nestled in a city park of trees and green fields, Monza
the track is the cathedral of speed for all Italians and an
annual pilgrimage to see Grand Prix high mass of aerodynamics
and high speed technology.
And then there's the tifosi.
They too are a must-see experience.
But if you don't have the proper videographer
credentials, there's not much you can do.
Consequently, everything you are watching in this episode
is shot entirely on an iPhone, including this
away-from-the-track interview with Pirelli's Paul Hembery,
the head of motor support for the Italian performance tire
brand, and the guy that leads Pirelli's F1 experience.
What's been the biggest accomplishment, you feel, for
Pirelli Tire in F1 this year, and
then the biggest challenge?
PAUL HEMBERY: I think this year we were asked to provide
another stimulating challenge for the teams.
And we feel we did that.
Obviously, the cars changed a lot this year, with the blown
diffuser going and the flexy noses going.
That changed the aero balance and loads on the tires.
That changed the way the tires were being worked,
particularly for the top teams.
I think the top two, three teams had a bigger change
maybe than some of the other teams who weren't so advanced
with the blown diffuser.
So we added in a new range of compounds for the tires.
And the way the tires were being heated up and working
changed dramatically.
And that created a rather interesting start to the
season, shall I say.
But the teams all said to us, well, we
want a technical challenge.
As long as it's the same for all of us, it's fine.
You know, that's great.
LEO PARENTE: Pirelli does a lot of simulation to develop
your product.
Teams do simulation.
Do you share that simulation information?
Does it go both ways?
PAUL HEMBERY: After a certain point.
Obviously we supply everybody, so the teams aren't going to
give us all the data, because they'd be worried maybe it
would go away from us into the hands of a competitor.
But you have to have a certain level of data exchange,
otherwise you can't do your job.
We do a lot of simulation work.
And it's improving all the time, simulation.
You can certainly simulate new structures of tires with very
good results in terms of how they then handle on a race car
on a race circuit.
So that's working well.
And we'll see where it takes us in the future, because the
sport is going to have a big change in 2014.
And it's going to be fascinating when we start
simulating the effect of tires on cars, if, of course, the
sport decides to keep us.
But that's the next question.
And the next few months, we'll be trying to find out if
that's going to be the case and if indeed we can continue.
LEO PARENTE: It feels like you're improving
from year to year.
So what's been the biggest improvement you felt for
Pirelli Tire and F1 this year?
PAUL HEMBERY: Well, the challenge we were given was to
make tires that added to the tactical
challenge of the race weekend.
So I think this year we created more of a challenge.
So from our point of view, we're very pleased.
Last year, we gave the teams an easy time in many ways.
We were new, which was tough.
But we kept-- for example, the soft tire was used in all but
one race last year.
So the teams could work through that whole design
around one tire.
This year, we mixed it up all over the place.
So I think we felt more confident
doing that this year.
And I think the results have been some of the best racing
we've seen in F1 for a very long time, you know.
We've had well over half the season and we still don't know
who's going to win this championship.
You could bet on five different drivers, probably.
And that has to be a good reflection on the
status of the sport.
LEO PARENTE: What's been the biggest improvement that
teams, drivers have asked for?
What's the next step?
PAUL HEMBERY: Well, [INAUDIBLE].
In reality, you've only got one happy driver in the race,
the winning driver.
That's a rule of fact, you know.
So everyone will try and push a development direction that
would suit them personally.
So you could ask 24 people the same question and get a
slightly differently answer.
Now, our input's very clear.
We have to continue giving a technical challenge.
We're trying to get two, maybe three pit stops.
Sometimes one, sometimes two, but average on two.
We want to make sure that that remains and that teams have to
think about what they're doing with the tires.
That's the input we've got and we'll stay that way for the
years going forward.
LEO PARENTE: You talked about conversation
relations up front.
Some people have tried to date two girlfriends at once.
You're dating 11 or 22.
How do you make that work?
PAUL HEMBERY: That is a big challenge, yeah.
Well, you have to be impartial.
You know, we're not just dealing with--
sometimes people think we just worry about what's happening
at the front of the grid, you know, what those--
that's not true.
We actually have to make, as you say, everybody happy and
give everybody the same opportunity.
And that's something that we do.
We look all the way through the grid to make sure that
we're not penalizing the teams that may be a little bit
further away from the front, because it's fundamental to us
that everybody has the same opportunity.
LEO PARENTE: We know you're not the
driver, but I'm curious.
From feedback on the experience and the data you
get back, what's the right way to drive a Pirelli F1 tire?
PAUL HEMBERY: Well, it's obviously in combination with
whatever chassis you're dealing with as well.
I mean, there is a slightly different way of driving.
You don't want too much wheel spin.
You could lead to overheating, and then you lose performance
at the end of the stint.
So that's one area in particular that you'll see
that the drivers have adapted.
But they are the best drivers in the world.
So whilst everyone would love to say there's one better than
the other, the reality is they all look at the data.
Lewis showed everyone today, didn't he?
So we've all seen the data.
And they can modify their driving to get the best
performance.
And as I said, they are really the best drivers,
so I have no doubt.
LEO PARENTE: If you overheat a tire, will the Pirelli tire
come back or have you dropped off?
PAUL HEMBERY: You lose it at the end of the stint.
You tend to get an increased loss of performance at the end
of the stint.
So you'll see sometimes-- a good example is probably
Canada, where you saw Perez and Grosjean, who really did
look after their tires early on and were able to go really
the quickest.
After 35, 40 laps on the tires, they were actually
still quick.
So they weren't having any degradation.
They maintained the
performance all the way through.
So the degradation was less than the fuel load coming off.
And we've seen a lot more of that.
We talk about degradation of the tires.
In reality, a lot races there's almost none.
LEO PARENTE: Last question.
Monza's a specific challenge.
What's been the biggest challenge for
the tires this year?
Where has it really put the most on the Pirelli tire?
PAUL HEMBERY: It's Spa and Monza, the two, you know, that
really are tough.
I mean, Spa because it's such a quick circuit, huge loads,
1,000 kilos going through the tires through
Eau Rouge, you know.
Imagine that, taking four elephants on your car.
And Monza because you've got the high speed.
And what happens in braking, of course, is the shoulder
temperature builds up.
And going through the Parabolica, you've got the
inside front right that's being dragged through there.
And that creates an overheating.
In fact, we will have--
that's the critical factor here, is going to be we're
limited on that front right.
So these are the two really tough circuits.
You say that.
We've not been to Austin yet.
We don't know what we're going to get in Austin.
And we're all excited about going to Austin.
I think there's a huge enthusiasm from everybody to
get back in the USA.
You know, it's a market.
We know there's a lot of F1 fans, and
more than people think.
When I'm in Canada, the number of people coming up from the
US is phenomenal.
And they're very well qualified.
They ask very sensible questions and very
well-informed questions.
So we're all very excited to go into Austin.
But we don't know what it's going to be like.
Now we're going out there, mapping the surfaces, and
seeing what it's going to be from a tire point of view.
But there again, you know, you could talk about Japan.
You know, Suzuki's a tough circuit.
It can be very abrasive and aggressive on the tires.
So there's a few tough circuits.
If we get through this weekend, then it's literally,
where are we going to be when the season finishes?
But so far, so good.
LEO PARENTE: You mentioned North America.
I've got to break my rule with two last questions.
Is that OK?
So on Austin, have you finished the data?
I mean, they haven't laid the final surface yet.
What happens next and when for you to get the right
[INAUDIBLE]?
PAUL HEMBERY: We need the surface, because it has such a
big impact on what we do.
Now, we've obviously got the layout.
We've got an idea of what forces an F1 car is going to
create going around.
But we don't know the interaction between the rubber
and the surface.
So it's vital.
LEO PARENTE: So Pirelli has had a rich racing history.
Talk to me about your comment about the new merger of
America Le Mans and Grand-Am.
Does that mean anything in your mind or for the future?
PAUL HEMBERY: Oh, we've had a few phone calls already from
my friends.
Of course, we've been involved in both series.
We're going to look very carefully, and I'd like to
speak to them about what plans they have for 2014 because we
would certainly like to be going back.
LEO PARENTE: Thank you.
[MUSIC PLAYING]