Pirelli: “winter” tires and a wet Friday in Jerez
In order to develop its tires for wet tracks, Pirelli will wet the track throughout the day on Friday. The entire day will be dedicated to working in wet conditions, which will provide good data feedback to Pirelli.
While the tires will be quite different compared to the 2013 season due to the different constraints they will have to withstand, Pirelli has obtained several development opportunities with the signing of its new supplier contract. One of these is that out of the 12 test days planned before the start of the season, at least one should be dedicated to running in the rain. This day will be during the Jerez tests, this Friday, January 31, to be precise.
The teams will therefore have to contend with a track that will be drenched by Pirelli, which will use the opportunity to test its 2014 specification rain tires. However, if it rains on a day other than Friday, that day will be dedicated to wet condition tests, so as not to disadvantage the teams.
The F1 teams will therefore have a first impression of these 2014 rain tires which, according to Pirelli, will be very different from those of the previous year. Additionally, a special tire compound will be brought in for work in the conditions at Jerez, with an extremely abrasive track and very cool temperatures. This compound will not be used for the rest of the season.
« The 2014 tires will be as different from their predecessors as the 2014 single-seaters are, with the majority of our preparation work carried out through an advanced simulation program, as well as track tests » announces Paul Hembery, the director of Pirelli.
« Last year, the teams lost track time during pre-season testing due to excessively cold conditions in Spain: we even saw ice on the track at one point. To avoid further issues with this, we have developed a special winter version of our hard tire. It will be used during the Jerez tests only, and is specifically designed to work effectively even in cold conditions. »
