Pirelli will supply the teams with extra sets of dry-weather tyres to use during Friday’s practice sessions at this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix. The additional rubber will be an experimental version of the manufacturer’s hard compound.
“We never believe in standing still at Pirelli, which is why the teams will have two extra sets of slick tyres available to them during Friday's free practice sessions for evaluation purposes,” explained Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery. “With testing not allowed during the season, this gives us a valuable opportunity to gather more data and feedback, while it also gives the teams an interesting taste of what could be coming in the future."
After enjoying a successful opener at last month’s Australian Grand Prix, Hembery acknowledges the hotter temperatures expected in Malaysia will test Pirelli’s tyres even more and he is expecting some drivers to make four stops during the Sepang race.
"We were absolutely thrilled by our Grand Prix debut in Australia, but we're aware that Malaysia should be a very different proposition, with higher temperatures and increased degradation,” he added. “We said all along that we would be seeing two to three pit stops in Australia, but in Malaysia I think that figure is likely to increase to three to four.”
Like in Melbourne, Pirelli have nominated their hard and soft compounds as the prime and option rubber respectively for Malaysia.
Credit: Formula One Administration Ltd (www.formula1.com)
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