What’s new at Pirelli in 2013?
The Italian brand is the only tire supplier this year and mid-season, Pirelli is already thinking about the next ones. New developments in rubber compounds may emerge during the 2013 season.
We are almost halfway through the championship, and the manufacturer Pirelli is providing an initial assessment of its first year as the sole supplier of Formula 1 tires. According to nearly all the teams, the Italian brand has done a fantastic job, and Pirelli wants to continue its momentum to innovate in the coming seasons.
Precisely on the occasion of the upcoming British Grand Prix – which takes place in less than two weeks, Pirelli will meet with the teams to discuss possible tire developments, says Pirelli Motorsport director Paul Hembery. He continues by indicating the avenues being explored by the Italian brand, such as the possibility of increasing the number of tire versions, to potentially bring three different compounds to a race, which would lead to six possible choices for the drivers starting from the F1 2013 season.
The biggest advancement would be the creation of a tire compound called “super-sticky” which would be used only in qualifying by all drivers. The aim is to sometimes avoid the cost-saving measures decided by the drivers. This was the case for Nick Heidfeld or Adrian Sutil, who during their last Q3 session in Valencia, didn’t even go out for a timed lap in order to save their tires as much as possible, thus spoiling the spirit of motorsport.
However, as Paul Hembery points out, the final word will rest with the teams.
