Pirelli satisfied with first step to F1 return

As Pirelli's F1 tyre testing came to a close today, they are pleased with their first step back into the pinnacle of motorsport. The two day session at the Mugello circuit left the Italian manufacturer satisfied with a what they were focusing on; the profile and construction of the front and rear tyres.

Pirelli’s Motorsport Director, Paul Hembery, said, "This was the first step of our return to Formula One and we are very satisfied with how the tyres performed and the information we were able to collect. We concentrated on finalising the profile and the construction of the front and rear tyres, which is a process that we will continue over the next few tests that we carry out.

"Mugello has quite an abrasive surface with long and medium-high-speed corners as well as hairpins and quick changes of direction so it is quite a good proving ground. We are on target and we come away from this test with lots of data to analyse, which is exactly the situation we hoped to be in.

"A lot of people have made a big commitment to get to where we are today in a very short period of time and the effort really has been incredible. The Toyota team has also been very professional and provided a good, reliable car and we are all very happy to begin our relationship with Nick Heidfeld who gave us a lot of good feedback and suggestions."

Private testing with Nick Heidfeld will resume later this month.