Pirelli Needed A Better Test Vehicle For Their F1 Tyres
Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery has recently expressed frustration that the Forumla One teams haven’t been entirely cooperative with the tyre manufacturer. He feels that the small operating window of this season’s tyres would have been easily avoided if the teams had allowed Pirelli the use of this year’s model of race vehicle rather than an outdated 2010 model for testing the tyres during the development phase.
Unfortunately, testing the tyres on a 2010 car does not give them the same challenges that they face on a 2012 car. The 2012 cars feature an inherent aerodynamic balance which “changes the energy going into the tyre and the relative temperature front to rear.” This has resulted in the small operating window of the tyres that F1 teams have complained about.
Sadly, the situation doesn’t seem to be changing. The 2010 car is the only one they have, and apparently they had to fight to get that one. As the tyres need testing on something, they have to make do with what they’ve got.