Pirelli’s motorsport director, Paul Hembery: “Monaco is a fantastic race that makes no sense on the one hand as it’s so different from everywhere else, but it’s still the jewel in the crown of the calendar on the other. We’re very excited to see our PZero Red supersoft tyres making their debut around the twisty streets this weekend, although this type of circuit will obviously be a completely new experience as we’ve only tested on permanent tracks. The supersoft rubber is designed to provide outstanding performance over a short period of time but this comes at the price of durability, so all the teams will have to consider their strategies carefully. Getting it right will make the difference between winning and losing. For longer runs, the PZero Yellow has already proven itself to be a reliable and popular product so far this year, contributing to extremely close racing while providing the drivers with all the confidence they need to push to the maximum. We said from the start that we wanted to give racing back to the racers, and we’re hoping very much that Monaco will be a classic example of this.”
Jarno Trulli (Team Lotus): “Monaco is a very special experience for everyone who takes part. It’s one of the most exciting events in the whole year and whether you’re driving or just walking around, you can almost breathe in how exciting it is. Every driver in the world wants to win in Monaco and I count myself very fortunate to have done so in 2004, but you’re under so much pressure it can be difficult to get time to think and concentrate on the actual race. Getting in a good lap is also a challenge, but if you can manage the traffic it’s very satisfying. The tyres will obviously play a big part. We’ve already seen this season how important it is to get your tyre strategy right and at a circuit like Monaco where aero performance doesn’t play such a crucial role I think the performance of the tyres will be even more critical.”
