The entrants in the 2015 BRDC F4 Championship will race with the same tyre manufacturer as Formula 1, GP2 and GP3 after officials agreed a deal with Pirelli.
BRDC F4 creator and promoter MSV selected Pirelli due to the proven track record of providing excellent competition tyres and comprehensive service, and the tyre manufacturer will support the series from the same Didcot factory it supports F1.
The bespoke Pirelli P Zero tyre has already been run in the Italian F4 championship and has been evaluated by MSV to show the level of grip and consistency throughout the tyres lifespan.
BRDC F4 Technical Director Chris Murphy has welcomed the arrival of Pirelli to the series, and believes that and the introduction of the Tatuus chassis to replace the RFR F4-013 chassis will benefit the series.
“We tested the Pirelli Formula 4 tyre during the Tatuus evaluation tests and were very happy with the suitability of the tyre, both for the current RFR-chassis BRDC F4 car and for the forthcoming Tatuus-chassis BRDC F4 car,” said Murphy. “The performance and particularly the durability of the tyre were beyond our expectations.
“ Although this tyre is from the same family as Pirelli’s GP3, GP2 and F1 tyres, the construction and compound of the F4 tyre is appropriate for a junior formula where a lot of seat-time, no-peaky performance and outstanding durability are significant criteria.”
Former F1 driver and current MSV Chief Executive Jonathan Palmer was happy to agree a deal to run with Pirelli tyres, and believes the F4 championship will go from strength-to-strength when it races for a third season in 2015.
“We are delighted to have reached this new agreement with Pirelli, a tyre maker many BRDC F4 drivers will work with again on their way up the single-seater career ladder,” insisted Palmer. “The P Zero tyre has demonstrated its excellence in our own tests and in open competition, and we’re confident that F4 teams will find Pirelli very professional to work with.
“With this latest development, the BRDC F4 Championship is going into its third year looking stronger than ever. BRDC F4 will share top billing at British GT Championship race meetings for the first time this year, we’re finalising another great package of UK and international TV coverage, and more drivers have already signed-up with teams than at this time last year.”
