Pirelli pleased with FIA rule tweaks

As AUTOSPORT exclusively revealed last week, Pirelli had hoped to be allowed to try development compounds in some Friday sessions as it would be unable to test once the season was underway. Its request was ratified by the FIA World Motor Sport Council today.

Pirelli's motorsport boss Paul Hembery said: "The latest amendments to the sporting regulations are simply another part of our pre-season preparations as we build up to our grand prix debut in just over two weeks' time.

"We needed to put in place a mechanism within the regulations now to allow us to test new tyres in a competitive context this year if necessary, and it's great that we have this possibility open to us because we are already hard at work defining the specification of our tyres for the future.

"Without this potential opportunity we would be unable to test with a current car and would be relying solely on a previous-generation vehicle, so it could be a good solution to the testing issue for both ourselves and the teams."

The FIA has also allowed Pirelli to provide teams with an additional set of prime tyres at selected races if required this year.

"We're not sure how often or indeed if at all we are going to use these fresh opportunities," said Hembery. "But the effect is to open up our options by putting in place at an early stage some pre-determined processes before we get into the swing of the season.

"Both the teams and ourselves are having to take on a lot of data in a comparatively short space of time, so the latest tyre regulation amendments from the World Motor Sport Council could help to accelerate that learning process if required."