The BRDC Formula 4 Championship has announced a new technical partnership with tire manufacturer Pirelli. 2015 will see the championship run on bespoke Pirelli P Zero tires, moving BRDC F4 to the same tire supplier as the GP3, GP2, and F1 championships.
BRDC F4 creator and promoter MSV states that it selected Pirelli because of the ‘proven excellence of its competition tires and the comprehensive service it provides to teams’.
Pirelli will support the BRDC F4 Championship from its Didcot, UK, facility that also coordinates its F1 tire operations.
Pirelli’s F4 tire is already proven in competition, having been the tire of choice for the Italian F4 Championship. That same championship also uses the Tatuus chassis, which will also be adopted by the BRDC from its 2015 Winter Championship onwards.
“We tested the Pirelli Formula 4 tire during the Tatuus evaluation tests and were very happy with the suitability of the tire, both for the current RFR-chassis BRDC F4 car and for the forthcoming Tatuus-chassis BRDC F4 car,” explained BRDC F4 technical director Chris Murphy. “The performance and particularly the durability of the tire were beyond our expectations. Although this tire is from the same family as Pirelli’s GP3, GP2 and F1 tires, the construction and compound of the F4 tire is appropriate for a junior formula where a lot of seat-time, no-peaky performance and outstanding durability are significant criteria.”
“We are delighted to have reached this new agreement with Pirelli, a tire maker many BRDC F4 drivers will work with again on their way up the single-seater career ladder,” added MSV chief executive Jonathan Palmer. “The P Zero tire 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.”
