Pirelli Motorsport director Paul Hembery says Pirelli are concentrating on developing tyres as big as 19-inches for Formula 1 as opposed to the 18-inch tyres they were originally pushing for.
The sport’s tyre manufacturer previously trialled 18-inch low-profile tyres on the Lotus E22 during the post-race test at Silverstone with a view at a possible move to increase the size of the tyres on F1 cars happening by as early as 2016.
Although Hembery recently admitted that the Italian company are now looking at going beyond the prototype tyres examined last month, despite the tyres proving to be successful in Pirelli’s eyes.
“We are doing a lot of work – probably focusing on 19-inch now, if I am really honest with you,” said Hembery. “We are carrying on our work internally on those developments and so from our point of view it goes ahead.”
He also added that he would prefer the sport to move towards 19-inch tyres as “18-inch tyres we have got everywhere and 19 is different,”
Hembery is uncertain how wide the tyres will be, should bigger tyres in F1 be given the green light by the sport’s governing body and teams, citing aerodynamic packages and suspension systems as reasons for the uncertainty.
“It is too early to say. I think that depends on what package of aero changes they are going to make and what they think they might do with the suspension. We have heard talk of some form of active suspension.
“I am not sure if that is going to happen or not. But there is a lot of aspects they are talking about which could change what we do with that.”
