Michelin has adjusted its tire choices for the 6 Hours of Imola

After opening the season with the 1812 km of Qatar at the end of February, the eight manufacturers entered in the premier category of the World ChampionshipEndurance meet this weekend on the Enzo and Dino circuit FerrariEighteen Hypercar prototypes will take the start of this first European round, with technical support from the Michelin Motorsport teams, the exclusive supplier of the category.

« Last year, we offered the Michelin Pilot Sport Endurance in Hard and Medium compounds. This season, we believe the Medium-Soft combination will be even more relevant. " explains Pierre Alves, head of Endurance programs at Michelin.

« Our analyses show that the Medium compound offers excellent performance over a wide temperature range, even when it is very hot, he specifies. The year Last year, weather conditions ranged from 30°C to 12°C in a matter of days. If such a range occurs again, the Medium-Soft combination will offer greater flexibility to our partners. In addition, the Soft compound provides an ideal transition to rain tires, if necessary. »

The Imola track, which is not conducive to rapid tire temperature rise, justifies this choice, he says. This combination will allow the teams to fully express their potential from the first laps, with complete confidence over the six hours of racing, says Alves. It should also facilitate triple relays and promote a faster overall pace. We can expect to see new records broken. »

Last year, Kamui Kobayashi, Mike conway et Nyck de Vries had won the 6 Hours of Imola at the wheel of the Toyota GR010 Hybrid fitted with Michelin tires. The #499 Ferrari 50P had held the lead for 129 laps – over 630 km – on the same set of tires, but the Italian manufacturer squandered its advantage by misstepping its strategy in the rain.

For this 2025 edition, each Hypercar will have 12 tires for free practice, and 18 for qualifying and the race. Michelin will provide four additional tires to the 4 cars qualified for Hyperpole. The rubber used is selected by Michelin (Medium), and these tires will then be reintegrated into the overall allocation for later use during private tests.

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