F1 teams opt against new 2020 Pirelli tyres

After evaluating Pirelli's proposed new tyres for the 2020 Formula One season, the teams have voted against the new tyre specification, forcing F1 to continue with this year's specification.

Feedback on the new tyres had been mixed, with Lewis Hamilton and Romain Grosjean commenting at the 2-day test at Abu Dhabi that the tyres were an improvement in some areas, but also a handful in others.

Given it wasn't an undeniable improvement, a team's vote resulted in a unanimous decision to keep the 2019 specification tyres for the 2020 season by the Formula 1 teams.

Keeping the same tyres will prevent the teams from adapting their 2020 cars to the new specification, and instead develop towards a known specification, as all teams have plenty of data to work with from 2019.

An FIA statement read: "The new solutions for the 2020 construction tyres tested last week in Abu Dhabi, which Pirelli will continue to develop further for the 18-inch era from 2021, allow lower tyre pressures than those used at the moment to be run. As a result, they are able to compensate for the increased performance expected from the next generation of cars.

"These new solutions seen on the 18-inch tyres that will be used from 2021 onwards, with the first on-track tests in this size have already shown positive results.

"The development test campaign with 18-inch tyres for 2021 onwards will continue throughout 2020, beginning in February with Ferrari at Jerez in Spain."