Pirelli and Ferrari continued 18-inch tyre testing

Scuderia Ferrari and Formula One’s sole tyre manufacturer Pirelli continued today their 18-inch tyre testing programme at Jerez with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc experimenting with the new 2022 rubber.

Pirelli is set to introduce an all-new 18-inch tyre specification for 2022 which will replace the current 13-inch tyres. The 18-inch tyres were due to make their debut this year, but the coronavirus pandemic-induced difficulties forced the sport to postpone their introduction by a year. The tyre testing programme which was schedule for 2020 was also ditched owing to the Covid-19 situation.

The Italian tyre supplier had asked the FIA to increase the tyre testing programme planned for 2020 in order to get fully prepared for the introduction of the 18-inch tyres. The Paris-based governing body has granted the Italian manufacturer a 30-day test with each of the ten Formula One teams having three days at its disposal in 2020.

The Milan-based company kick-started its 30-day testing programme with Ferrari at Jerez yesterday. The first day of the testing saw Charles Leclerc get behind the wheel of Ferrari’s 2019 F1 car, the SF90, trying out the new 18-inch intermediate and rain tyres.

Today saw Charles Leclerc carry on with the work, but he was joined by his new team mate Carlos Sainz. The Monegasque and the Spaniard racked up a total of 85 laps with Pirelli’s 18-inch slick prototype tyres around the 4.428km Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto track.

Ferrari and Pirelli are set to continue to work on the new tyre tomorrow, bringing the three-day programme to an end.