Pirelli reiterates need for more tyre testing
Pirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery has repeated at Korea that F1's sole tyre suppliers need to have more relevant tyre testing if it is to develop solid and reliable tyres for the 2014 season.
The Italian company again faces criticism from various drivers, including Mark Webber and Sergio Perez. The Australian went on record saying "the tyres wear out quickly, and they explode a bit", referring to a tyre delamination on Sergio Perez' McLaren just ahead of himself. Pirelli were quick to say the issue was caused by a major flat spot on the right front tyre of the McLaren, caused itself by the Mexican locking up his front wheels in the approach to turn 1.
Even though the company says there is nothing structural going on as the carcass is obviously the same as on last year's tyres, drivers and teams continue to wonder if this is the right way to go. Severe flat spotting should not lead to such safety issues as they were displayed at Korea.
Knowing this, Hembery said the tyres wear out this quickly because it was the wish of F1 to have 2 to 3 stop races.
However, with F1's regulations drastically changed for 2014, the company urges teams and the FIA to allow more testing to make sure it has enough data to develop the 2014 tyres, even though the company has said it will take a conservative approach.
"We're running around in a 2010 car, developing tyres for the 2014 car, and nobody really knows what it's going to look like," Hembery said after the Korean Grand Prix, "Yet, every time we even ask to test with a 2011 car, we come up against opposition.
"Going forward, to do what we need to do, we need to have the ability to test and help everybody - drivers and teams. Whilst nobody wants to think they're going to get an advantage in testing, you can't carry on going round in circles and decide to do nothing. Something has to change.
"Ideally, at the end of the season, we'd like to see some use of these [current] cars because they're the quickest we've got at the moment. It would make sense to use them because, for the majority of the teams, they'll be of little relevance anyway."
Pirelli have already undertaken private tests with Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull Racing, but a further request to test at Austin with McLaren, just ahead of the USA Grand Prix was blocked as other team principals objected to the idea, basically because they suspect it would benefit McLaren at the race on the same circuit.
The next chance for a tyre test may be at Interlagos after the 2013 finale, and clearly Pirelli is keen to get this test happening to gather more representative data.
