Formula 1

FORMULA 1 – PIRELLI UNVEILS 18-INCH TEST SCHEDULE FOR 2021

Published

2 years ago

01/03/2021

FORMULA 1 - PIRELLI UNVEILS 18-INCH TEST SCHEDULE FOR 2021

Formula 1 Pirelli 18-Inch – The first tests took place last week at Jerez in Spain, where Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz completed three days of running in a specially-adapted ‘mule’ car.

Pirelli has revealed nine of Formula 1’s teams will test its new 18-inch tyres in preparation for their introduction next season.

All teams except Williams will be involved in the 28 days of testing in 2021 as Pirelli looks to fine-tune its new rubber.

Ferrari has already tested for Pirelli at Jerez last week, with the Scuderia and Alpine next in line to test again in Bahrain following the season-opener later this month.

Teams will test in both dry and wet conditions while running mule cars to give Pirelli the best data possible ahead of next season’s regulation changes.

Mario Isola, Pirelli’s head of F1 and car racing said: “We’re looking forward to resuming our tests for the new 18-inch tyres shortly, but as the COVID-19 pandemic – which led to the suspension of the test programme last year – is not yet over, it’s possible that our planned schedule for this year may have to be modified.

“As a result, we have a back-up plan too. Nonetheless, we have put together a programme that should enable us to pick up solidly from where we left off in 2019 and finalise the specification for a new generation of tyre under fresh regulations that will give Formula 1 a very different look next year.

“Many thanks to all the teams for their support in providing simulations and mule cars, giving us a good base to work from. We will be testing both our slick and wet prototype 18-inch tyres for 2022: we started already at Jerez in Spain for three days with Ferrari, and we will end up at France’s Magny-Cours circuit with Alpine in September.”

PIRELLI’S 2021 TESTING PROGRAMME:

Circuit	Date	Tyre	Team
Jerez	February 22	Slick	Ferrari
Jerez	February 23 – 24	Wet	Ferrari
Bahrain	March 30 – 31 – April 1	Slick	Ferrari (day 1), Alpine (day 2 – 3)
Imola	April 20 – 21	Slick	Mercedes
Barcelona	May 11 – 12	Slick	Alpine (day 1) Red Bull, Alfa Romeo (day 1 – 2)
Paul Ricard	May 25 – 26	Wet	Mercedes
Spielberg	July 6 – 7	Slick	AlphaTauri
Silverstone	July 20 – 21	Slick	Red Bull (day 1) Aston Martin, Haas (day 1 – 2)
Budapest	August 3 – 4	Slick	Mercedes, McLaren (day 1) Ferrari, McLaren (day 2)
Magny-Cours	September 15 – 16	Wet	Alpine