Green light for GP Friday tyre testing

The Italian tyre-maker wants to keep up development of its rubber throughout 2011, but with in-season testing banned it has been forced to look for an alternative solution to continue its evaluation.

After proposing to teams that extra tyres could be made available for first free practice sessions at some races, the move has now been approved by the FIA.

A statement issued after Tuesday's meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris said: "At certain events, one additional specification of dry weather tyre may be made available to all teams for evaluation purposes.

"Teams will be informed about such an additional specification at least one week before the start of the relevant event. Two sets of these tyres will be allocated to each driver for use during P1 and P2, and any such tyres must be returned to the tyre supplier before the start of P3.

"One additional set of 'prime' specification tyres may be made available to all drivers. Teams will be informed about such an additional set at least one week before the start of the relevant event. In this instance, the additional set will be available for use during P1 and P2. One set of 'prime' tyres must then be returned to the tyre supplier after P1, and two further sets of 'prime' and one set of 'option' specification tyres returned before the start of P3."

Pirelli has suggested that the first time this extra set of tyres will be made available will be in Malaysia - the second race of the season.