Pirelli’s motorsport director Mario Isola believes it will be wiser for the 2024-spec tyres to be used at July’s British Grand Prix due to the fact they are ready for on-track usage.
At Silverstone, Pirelli will bring a tyre containing new materials that is designed to tackle the potential banning of tyre blankets, set to effect in 2024.
During Friday practice at the Spanish GP, the teams tested the new tyre to gain data for Pirelli.
“It is a new material,” Isola exclusively told Total-Motorsport.com. “We tested this new material with a target to introduce it in 2024. The year in which we have to remove [tyre] blankets.
“When you remove blankets, you are obliged to start at a lower pressure because the delta between starting and running pressure is much higher, and that’s why we started to test and develop new materials.
“It’s probably better to introduce this new material earlier because we have already tested it. The parameters of the new product we want to introduce at Silverstone are the same as the current [tyres].”
No surprise at Verstappen’s win on hards
With Formula 1’s European season in full swing, Max Verstappen and Red Bull hold commanding advantages in both the drivers and constructors championships.
Verstappen’s victories in Monaco and Miami were achieved by combining long stints on mediums and hard compounds of tyres and tyre management, which helped him gain an advantage over his rivals.
“The hards are designed to last for a long stint,” said Isola. “The purpose of the current system is to have a hard able to run with a consistent pace for several laps.
“A soft, which is more aggressive with higher degradation and a medium, in the middle. If you look, the numbers [are] referring to the level of degradation and delta time o encourage different strategies.
“I’m happy with the performance of the hard in Miami because it is designed to do that. If you have a level of degradation close to zero, the driver has no incentive to change [tyre].”
