The opening round of this season's FIA World Endurance Championship, as well as the Prologue test, was not only vital for the teams and drivers but also important for Michelin, providers to the three manufacturer teams that will battle for the world titles in the LMP1 category.
Michelin Motorsport spent the winter break assisting its long-term partners in the LMP1 development process, focusing on performance and consistency.
“Basically everything is new,” says Michelin’s WEC Jérôme Mondain. “With LMP1 we have renewed all of our ranges and we have three different specs of tyres available in the slicks. We also have new Intermediates, so really the only same product as last year is the wet tyres. Everything else is new and has been developed over the winter.
“We have fitted the development of the tyre to the new 2016 spec cars, so any chance to run, improve and manage has been taken,” continues Mondain. “We aim to use the same tyre at Le Mans as we used at Silverstone and will use in Spa. If we did change something it would be between those two races because we want the Le Mans specs in Spa for sure because we have to do final checks and validate everything. You never introduce anything new at Le Mans!”
For the ultra-competitive LMGTE Pro class there is new rubber for the manufacturers to get used to as well.
“In LMGTE Pro we have brand new ranges,” says Mondain. “It is a different kind of tyre and all the slicks are brand new for each manufacturer. We also have a new spec of wet but more from some small internal process changes compared to last year, so an evolution really.
“We declare all the tyres in LMP1 and LMGTE Pro on a given track but we can have evolution during the year if we need to. For LMP2 or LMGTE Am we have to nominate for the whole season.
The technology transfer is also important for Michelin and a key focus of how it operates and harmonises the racing and road products it develops.
“We have a product called the cross-climate tyre which is a kind of four-seasons, year-round road tyre,” confirms Mondain. “Some technologies that are in this tyre have come from the Hybrid tyre which is used here in the FIA WEC. The engineering and knowledge has contributed, not in the whole philosophy, but in some aspects of the products. This is a very interesting area for Michelin. To improve our knowledge and understanding we come to endurance racing because really this is the only true area at present where we can improve these products on a high-technology basis.”
Rubber Soul: The lowdown on Michelin tyres in WEC
Three types of tyre are available for Michelin’s LM P1 partners: slicks, ‘hybrid’ and rain.
- Three types of slick: SOFT (cold weather), SOFT (hot weather), SOFT (hot weather)
The ideal operating windows of these three tyres cover the air and track temperature spread with overlap to provide the necessary versatility for changing conditions.
The Michelin Hybrid
The Michelin Hybrid first replaced the more conventional ‘intermediate’ in 2012. Its revolutionary compound allows it to be used in wet conditions despite its slick tread. It has made a decisive difference at venues like Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps.
WETS
Two types of rain tyre: The WET and FULL WET are for ‘normal’ and heavy rain respectively.
MICHELIN’s LM-P1 tyres are all the same size (31/71-18). In 2014, their overall tread width was narrowed by 5-6cm and their weight was cut by around 2kg each.
New developments for LM GTE Pro
The arrival of Ford, the launch of a new Ferrari and big changes for the Porsches promise an even closer fight in LM GTE Pro.
“As in LM P1, we have worked hard with our LM GTE Pro partners,” says Jérôme Mondain. “There is a mix of all-new and significantly improved cars, so we have focused on different areas to improve the performance of our tyres as races progress and also adapt them to the different cars. As in LM P1, this entailed working on the construction and compounds. Our LM GTE Pro range features three slicks and two tyres for wet weather.”
The LM GTE Am cars will use the tyres developed in 2015 for the LM GTE Pro cars.
MICHELIN’s LM GTE Pro and LM GTE Am tyres:
- Three slicks: Medium (cold weather), Medium, Medium (hot weather)
- Two types of rain tyre: WET & FULL WET
