Paul Hembery knows the significance of the United States market as Pirelli embark on this weekend’s Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas this weekend.
The Motorsport Director of Pirelli admits that they will go into the race this weekend slightly on the back foot due to the washout that was the 2015 event, with teams likely to need extra time to work out the optimal strategy after zero dry running in any practice or qualifying session last year.
The teams will also need to work out how the Supersoft compound will work around the COTA circuit, with the second softest compound available making its debut at the track in 2016.
“The significance of the United States both as a race and a market for us goes without saying, especially with the opening of our first P Zero World store in Los Angeles earlier this year,” said Hembery.
“The 2015 grand prix was particularly challenging because of the weather, meaning that the teams are lacking recent data on the slick compounds at Austin. We’re also bringing the supersoft to the track for the very first time.
“As a result, the free practice sessions in particular will be extremely important this year, with the optimal strategy yet to be defined.”
