Joining Pirelli a ‘Great Privilege’ – Heidfeld

Nick Heidfeld, who is busy testing tyres as part of Pirelli’s Formula One development programme, has thanked the Mercedes racing team for releasing him from his contract so he could carry out this work. “It’s a great privilege for me to join Pirelli in order to carry out this vital work and I am very grateful to Mercedes GP Petronas for releasing me from my contract to take on this role,” he said. “Through the experience I have built up over the years, I’m confident that I will be able to provide Pirelli with some important feedback regarding the development of next year’s tyres. I’ve got a lot to give but I haven’t been driving so much this year, so it is good to get started. Together, I’m sure that we can create a dynamic range of tyres that will make Formula One an even more exciting sport in the future.”

Pirelli’s development testing began less than two months after Pirelli concluded a three-year sole tyre supply agreement with the FIA. This development work, Pirelli reports, will focus on finding the delicate compromise needed between performance, durability and spectacle next season. The test vehicle in use is the TF109, Toyota’s F1 car from the 2009 season – the last produced by the Japanese manufacturer before its exit from the championship.

“The Toyota was the perfect solution, as it is a contemporary racing machine with proven speed and reliability but without links to any of the manufacturers currently competing in Formula One,” commented Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery. “I’m confident that we have an extremely good package that will give us every opportunity to maximise the potential of our tyres prior to the start of next season.”

Following Heidfeld’s on-track work with the Toyota, all the current F1 teams will get the chance to test the new tyres after the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November.