The teams will test Pirelli prototypes for 2014 in Brazil

Pirelli has not been officially confirmed by the FIA as the sole manufacturer for Formula 1 in 2014, but due to its agreements with the teams on the grid, the Italian manufacturer will continue to be present in F1 and is preparing for this 2014 season, which will see numerous technical changes.

For the moment, things are going well and Pirelli will have prototype tires tested by the teams in Brazil, as Paul Hembery revealed during Friday’s press conference in Abu Dhabi: « There are several things happening quite quickly. We have a 1000 km test planned with McLaren at Vallelunga. We will bring several sets of prototype tires for next year to Brazil for the first free practice session. »

The competition director of the Italian firm also revealed that other tests would be conducted before the start of the 2014 season: « We hope to be able to conduct some tests in December and January with an old-generation car, and there have been some good ideas on what we could do during pre-season testing as well. It is clearly a big step forward; if we look at things selfishly from our point of view, going to Bahrain for pre-season testing, the temperatures will be good, it’s an aggressive circuit, and it will be very, very useful for us to understand the real impact of the new cars. »

Hembery also stated that the signing of a contract with the FIA was on track and progressing well: « It’s done. There is one final thing to do with the FIA. The lawyers are handling it – when you have lawyers involved it tends to prolong what you’re doing. So things are moving along. »