Pirelli clarifies position on Mercedes test, new 2013 tyres
Pirelli has rebuffed claims that its recent 1,000km test in Spain gave the Mercedes team, with whose 2013 vehicle and drivers the test was completed, any unfair sporting advantage over other teams. Speaking in a conference call with the press this afternoon, Motorsport director, Paul Hembery explained that the purpose of this test was to continue preliminary development for Pirelli’s potential 2014 tyres, though the manufacturer has yet to sign a deal to continue its supply. Hembery also clarified that the company has been allowed to test development tyres with available teams since March 2012, when it wrote to all the F1 teams to inform them of this position. These tests are conducted blind, meaning that only Pirelli can access the data drawn from the laps. Hembery also confirmed some details of the new tyres for use in 2013. The two new tyres are to be available for all teams to test in the Friday practice sessions in Canada, and it is anticipated that the full grid will support their introduction at Silverstone following these sessions. The tyres, Hembery said, are Pirelli technicians’ resolution to the delamination issues witnessed so far this season, and were developed in the laboratory rather than via track testing.
Clearly seeking to squash innuendos and rumours brought about by confusion over the introduction of new tyres in 2013 and a test conducted with only the Mercedes team after the Spanish grand prix, Hembery said that Pirelli had been “disappointed by some of the coverage in the media and on social networks” about the joint issues. Concerning the testing of development tyres in Spain, Hembery explained that F1’s “very dramatic” regulation changes in 2014 mean there is a need for the tyre supplier to use 1,000km tests throughout the season. He also explained that the tests would have specific goals for testing “new concepts” and that the data would be collected privately by the manufacturer and treated as confidential industrial development information.
Hembery also revealed that this was not the first time in 2013 that Pirelli had performed a 1,000km test. Without revealing the identity of the team with whom this test was completed, Pirelli said that the FIA had been informed, though the details were confidential. Hembery said the manufacturer would continue to follow this procedure, or indeed any new procedure put in place. In the particular instance of the Mercedes test, Hembery said that Pirelli has answered “all of the FIA’s questions” and would continue to “provide total assistance and support” to the association.
Asked why Pirelli had chosen to use Mercedes as a testing partner this time, Hembery said that it had been the “first team of a few [it was] in contact with that indicated its availability.” The tyre supplier said that it had not used its own adapted 2010 Renault testing vehicle because it was running in a promotional event in South East Asia, and more importantly because “it is about four seconds slower” than the 2013 specification cars. He also detailed the economical and logistical impracticality of testing with more than one team in these instances. Hembery repeated that there was “no benefit to Mercedes” for helping in the test beyond the potential benefits to all F1 teams that testing 2014 tyres now could bring.
Hembery also spoke briefly about the 2014 tyres that Pirelli would seek to provide, should they sign a new contract in the coming months. He said that the supplier views 2014 as “a good opportunity to take a step back and let the cars do the talking”, suggesting that a more conservative specification would be Pirelli’s currently favoured option. It will be interesting to see if this thinking will help to persuade Bernie Ecclestone, who has spoken up regularly in favour of tyres that allow for greater strategic variation, and Formula One to put pen to contract.
Michelin seemed to test the waters for a potential return to F1 with a social media poll of F1 fans, though it has made it understood that tyre competition is one of its requirements. While Hembery said that this would not rule out Pirelli’s involvement in F1 – the Italian brand would “make an evaluation based on the new conditions” – a move back to competing tyre brands would mean a u-turn on the series’ current desire to make tyres that degrade quicker. No tyre brand is going to want to put quick-wearing rubber up against a competitor’s tyres. Considering the enduring economical reason for keeping an exclusive supplier – and the pliability of Pirelli’s tyre performance to F1 bosses’ specifications – it still seems unlikely that this sort of sea change will be sought, especially in a year with so many enforced changes to the cars.
New 2013 spec tyres developed in lab
Hembery added some more details regarding the new 2013 tyres too. Two development sets will be made available to each team during the first and second practice sessions in Montreal at the Canadian grand prix. These tyres have not yet been tested on track; Pirelli believes its engineers have found a solution to the delamination issue within the laboratory. The plan remains for the new tyres, which have been made using Kevlar within the construction, to be introduced after Canada during the British grand prix at Silverstone. Pirelli claims that none of its modifications will “affect the duration of the tyres and, consequently, on the number of pit stops during the race”.
The introduction of the new tyres in the middle of the season would depend upon the unanimous agreement of the teams. So far, Force India has been the most prominent team in refusing to agree to the change, with Ferrari and Lotus also voicing objections. Asked whether Pirelli was confident of securing unanimous agreement by Silverstone, Hembery said that “almost all the teams are in agreement about the introduction of the new tyres”, but some wanted the opportunity to test first.
Pirelli was also keen to stress that delamination has occurred on only four occasions “and always because of on-track detritus”. The company continued that these events had “never put the drivers’ safety at risk, but does risk harming Pirelli’s image. This is why the company decided to intervene.”
Pirelli ‘respecting contractual limits’
Pirelli also released a written statement on the events of the past few weeks: “With regard to the rules which govern its conduct, [Pirelli] has always respected the contractual limits which bind it to the FIA, teams and championship’s organizers, and has always respected the principles of sporting loyalty.
“Pirelli, however, feels the need to reaffirm the indisputable need to carry out tests for the development of tyres which are adequate and regulated by rules which are clear and shared by all the interested parties. The company confirms its availability, as communicated to the teams many times in the past, to organize tests for the development of tyres for 2014 with all the teams in the championship.
“With regard to requests for information received from FIA, Pirelli promptly provided the answers needed to clarify what happened at the tests, as far as its own responsibilities went.
“Pirelli has since 2010 made it clear that it is neither possible nor useful to carry out this type of test with all the teams simultaneously. In fact, this type of testing aimed at technological development and researching new solutions, involves many tyres of different types which must be tested with a single car at a time.
“Testing for championship specifications is different, as occurs in winter testing which require the participation of all the teams, so as to find the most satisfying solutions for all the cars in the competition. For this reason, Pirelli insists on the need for winter testing under conditions which are truly representative of the situations which will be met during the championship.
“Already in March 2012, Pirelli sent an email to all the teams, FIA and FOM [Formula One Manufactures], inviting the teams to indicate their availability for testing for the development of tyres for 2013. Further, the company explained that it was necessary to conduct the tests with the teams’ cars because it did not have a suitable one of its own (Pirelli has the use of an adapted 2010 Renault and, before that, a 2009 Toyota). The invitation was subsequently repeated in various official contexts and repeated to some teams last March for the development of tyres for 2014.
“The Barcelona test was conducted in cooperation with Mercedes between May 15 and May 17, 2013. The teams made available one car and two first tier drivers, who alternated at the wheel on different days. The trials were done with a base compound, not in use this year, and 12 different structures which had never been used in 2013, only one of which with Kevlar.
The team did not obtain any advantage with regard to knowledge of the behaviour of the tyres in use in the current championship. The type of car used during the tests was the subject of direct discussions between Mercedes and FIA, as shown in the exchange of emails between the team and Pirelli. In particular, Mercedes informed Pirelli that its 2011 car could not be used and that it had already contacted Fia regarding the use of the 2013 car. There is no doubt that the questions relating to the vehicle were the exclusive domain of the team and that Pirelli was excluded from these questions (notwithstanding Pirelli’s need, from a technical point of view, to have a representative car in terms of impact on the performance of the tyres).
“To confirm that this was an ordinary development test and not aimed at specific interventions, Pirelli made no specific requests about the drivers or about the tyre of Mercedes staff that would be present during the tests and had fielded its normal team for development testing.”
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