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The tests conducted by Pirelli
at the Silverstone circuit to develop tyres for 2024 came to an end today.
The programme was mainly focused on comparing different types of dry tyre
compounds without the use of thermal blankets for pre-heating, but the
changing weather conditions allowed work to continue on the new intermediate
tyres that will be used at ambient temperatures from next season.
Two teams, Haas and Williams, were busy today with drivers Pietro Fittipaldi
and Logan Sargeant. The Brazilian completed a total of 124 laps, setting a
best time of 1:33.634, while the American completed 104 laps, the fastest in
1:32.448.
In total, 3.151 kilometres were completed over the two days of testing,
which will be crucial in determining the next steps in the development of
the 2024 tyres.
"These have been two very intense days of testing and I would like to thank
the teams and drivers involved for their support," commented Mario Isola,
Director of Pirelli Motorsport. "The variable weather, especially on the
first day, made the work more difficult than we had hoped, as the asphalt
conditions were not as consistent as we would have liked, but we tried to
make the most of the time available, for example by studying the behaviour
of the new intermediate tyres. Now comes the most important part of the
work, the analysis of the data on the non-preheated compounds, which will be
compared with the data collected in the previous tests.
It is on the basis of this data that the F1 Commission - which includes the
FIA, F1 and the ten teams involved in the championship - will have to decide
on 31st July whether to introduce slick tyres without pre-heating from 2024,
putting them on an equal level with wet tyres, which have no longer required
tyre warmers since the Monaco Grand Prix, and intermediate tyres, which will
make their debut at the first Grand Prix of next season. Obviously, this
decision will have an impact on the testing programme during the current
championship, which as of today still includes four days of testing (two at
Spa and two at Monza following the Grands Prix held at those circuits) and
the use of prototypes in free practice at the Japanese Grand Prix and the
Mexico City Grand Prix.” |