What Colour is High Performance?
After the great successes in rally racing, especially at Montecarlo, the focus shifted to the Formula One circuits. This was partly due to the amazing results achieved by Lotus and Toleman in free practice on the San Marino circuit in 1984. When Pirelli returned to racing, one of the technicians of the English team was said to be “a very good test driver who, despite his very young age is able to provide a lot of information about how the car and the tyres behave”. His name was Ayrton Senna. In 1985 Toleman was taken over by Benetton and, the following year, Pirelli returned to the circuits for three years (1986-9), equipping Brabham, Dallara, Minardi and Zakspeed. Pirelli’s strategy was to work with smaller teams, which could act as testers, experimenting with new ideas and technologies and studying the relationship between man and machine in view of a greater commitment that started in 1991. This was the year when Pirelli approached Benetton, for which Michael Schumacher was second driver. The top-of-the-range ultra-low-profile tyre was now mounted on the cars of each individual team until, in 2011, Pirelli became the sole supplier for the Championship.
This was the greatest stage the P Zero had ever been on. Now, thanks to their success, Pirelli tyres have become synonymous with Formula 1. And, of course, there is that little stylistic detail: the name P Zero in bright colours on the side wall of the tyre, which makes the range instantly recognisable. Just a few years later, this was to acquire a very special meaning on the tracks. In 2022, Pirelli offered Formula One drivers a total of six different compounds – two for each of the three P Zero slick tyres for dry tracks and for high temperatures (Red, Yellow and White). Over time, racing fans have learnt that each colour corresponds to a compound and thus to a strategic decision declared by each racing team based on the particular circuit and on the driver’s style and the environmental conditions.
After the great successes in rally racing, especially at Montecarlo, the focus shifted to the Formula One circuits. This was partly due to the amazing results achieved by Lotus and Toleman in free practice on the San Marino circuit in 1984. When Pirelli returned to racing, one of the technicians of the English team was said to be “a very good test driver who, despite his very young age is able to provide a lot of information about how the car and the tyres behave”. His name was Ayrton Senna. In 1985 Toleman was taken over by Benetton and, the following year, Pirelli returned to the circuits for three years (1986-9), equipping Brabham, Dallara, Minardi and Zakspeed. Pirelli’s strategy was to work with smaller teams, which could act as testers, experimenting with new ideas and technologies and studying the relationship between man and machine in view of a greater commitment that started in 1991. This was the year when Pirelli approached Benetton, for which Michael Schumacher was second driver. The top-of-the-range ultra-low-profile tyre was now mounted on the cars of each individual team until, in 2011, Pirelli became the sole supplier for the Championship.
This was the greatest stage the P Zero had ever been on. Now, thanks to their success, Pirelli tyres have become synonymous with Formula 1. And, of course, there is that little stylistic detail: the name P Zero in bright colours on the side wall of the tyre, which makes the range instantly recognisable. Just a few years later, this was to acquire a very special meaning on the tracks. In 2022, Pirelli offered Formula One drivers a total of six different compounds – two for each of the three P Zero slick tyres for dry tracks and for high temperatures (Red, Yellow and White). Over time, racing fans have learnt that each colour corresponds to a compound and thus to a strategic decision declared by each racing team based on the particular circuit and on the driver’s style and the environmental conditions.
