The BRDC Formula 4 Championship, the UK’s leading single-seater motor-racing series, has agreed a new technical partnership with motorsport’s premier tyre manufacturer Pirelli, it was announced today at the Autosport International Show in Birmingham. All BRDC F4 cars will run on bespoke Pirelli P Zero tyres from 2015, moving BRDC F4 to the same tyre supplier as the GP3, GP2, and F1 championships.
BRDC F4 creator and promoter MSV selected Pirelli because of the proven excellence of its competition tyres and the comprehensive service it provides to teams. Pirelli will support the BRDC F4 Championship from the same facility in Didcot, Oxfordshire that coordinates its F1 tyre operations.
Pirelli’s F4 tyre is proven in competition and performed impressively in MSV’s evaluation tests, demonstrating high levels of grip, excellent handling characteristics with forgiving on-the-limit behaviour, and consistent performance throughout its extensive life.
The same tyre was used successfully in the 2014 Italian F4 Championship, where teams run the Tatuus chassis that will be adopted by BRDC F4 from this year’s Winter Championship onwards, replacing the RFR F4-013 chassis. This means teams and drivers will now have the opportunity to gain knowledge of the P Zero’s performance characteristics before the new car’s arrival.
BRDC F4 Technical Director Chris Murphy said: “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. 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.”
MSV Chief Executive Jonathan Palmer commented: “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. 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.”
The value of BRDC F4 as a showcase for young career-drivers was reaffirmed last month, when 2014 BRDC F4 Champion George Russell won the prestigious McLaren BRDC Autosport Award.
