WIDER TYRES FOR 2017
Next year’s tyres will be wider. Pirelli’s objective was to meet F1’s target of improving lap times by around four seconds a lap – no easy feat. The answer was to make the tyres twenty five percent wider, to increase the “contact patch” (the area in contact with the ground).
The size won’t be the only change. The make up of each of the compounds will be changed, though Pirelli are still experimenting with the exact constructions.
Wehrlein trailed potential compounds at the Silverstone test.
“We were also able to get some data about potential 2017 compounds and constructions within a 2016 tyre size,” said Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director. “This has given us a number of interesting areas to work on.”
The experimental compounds will be in 2017 sizes next month, when Pirelli’s testing begins. Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull will all take part in blind tests, working with a hybrid car that Pirelli expects next year’s machines to be like. The information collected will be given to all the teams, to ensure fairness.
“We will be on the track for the first time in the first four days of August,” Hembery told F1.com. “Working with a hybrid car and not with an exact 2017 car. But that will give us a good guideline of how the tyres are performing. And that will give a lot of answers to a lot of questions. There is, of course, already a huge amount of work and indoor testing going on in our factory. I am hopeful that we will give the sport what it wants in 2017.”
Pirelli are aiming to have the final version of the 2017 tyres ready by pre-season testing, but changes may have to be made if their guess work on what the new cars will look like doesn’t match up to the real thing.
----
Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
No copyright infringement intended
Sources: F1.com, Pirelli press release
Follow us on Twitter
No comments:
Post a Comment