Pirelli’s Paul Hembrey has told F1i.com they welcome the agreement made my Bernie Ecclestone and the Formula One drivers on the tyres that want for the 2017 season.
When Pirelli joined F1 as the sole tyre supplier, they were asked to manufacture degradable tyres that would result in teams having to stop at least twice for new tyres. This was designed to spice up the racing but the drivers have not been impressed with the lack of flat out racing they can do due to the huge degradation caused.
As we now understand it Pirelli will be asked to create a far more durable tyre as requested by the drivers and backed by Bernie so that more aggressive and high-speed racing can be achieved with no increase in the team’s costs.
“We welcome it, we genuinely do,” Hembery said. “We get caught between a rock and a hard place because we are just trying to provide the sport with what it wants. If the sport is all in agreement with what it wants then we are happy to do it. We don’t want to seem like we are defending a position because we’re not; we’re only trying to do what they ask us to do.
“It now seems that they all want it to be done in a certain way which is a bit different to the past, which we welcome.”
There will be a meeting on the second of February between Pirelli and key Formula One stakeholders to hash out the final details of what is wanted from the tyres in 2017. Bernie and Pirelli have encouraged representatives from all teams and drivers to attend the meeting to find a solution beneficial for all.
When asked about the meeting Paul Hembrey was quick to point out the current restrictions on tyre testing will need to be lifted so that they can create the tyre requested.
“Subsequent to the meeting then we’ll require from the sport an adequate and suitable test plan which will allow us to deliver the performance required.
“We’re prohibited from testing our own historical F1 car. I can’t go and get a 2012 V8 to test with, the reason we’re not testing is because we’re prohibited.
“The FIA would have to make changes to the regulations. Clearly you don’t go tyre testing with 10 teams. Like we have done when we had the Toyota and we had the Lotus, you need one car and our own peace and quiet where we can go and test lots of different solutions and different products.
“Then we’ll be able to deliver what’s required. But if we have to go testing with ten cars and do it all in one day that’s not a tyre testing schedule, that’s just a feel-good factor because the teams don’t want one team to have an advantage over another.
“The point we’re making is tell us what you want and all agree on the target, that’s really important. Then secondly make provision and give us a clear indication of how we can go testing. We need a clear indication of how we can go and develop and test the product to deliver what has been requested of us, bearing in mind today we are prohibited from testing on any historical Formula One car.”
Hopefully, the outcome of this meeting is positive and we can begin watching races without all of the talk being around when drivers are going to have to pit.
