F1 News: Pirelli to restart 18-inch tyre development for 2022
Pirelli is restarting its development of the 18-inch tyres that will be introduced to Formula 1 in 2022 after COVID-19 restrictions forced work to be put on hold
The low-profile tyres are part of what was originally the 2021 technical regulation package, and which has now been delayed by a year.
Although the World Championship will kick off in July, Pirelli's mule car testing - which was scheduled to take place over this season with all 10 teams involved - has been postponed to 2021.
The only track session run before the virus hit was with Charles Leclerc and Ferrari at Jerez on 8 February.
The original 25-day schedule included visits to Bahrain, Barcelona, Paul Ricard, Spielberg, Silverstone and Suzuka, running all the way to October.
That programme has now been factored into the updated 2021 FIA sporting regulations.
With Italy in lockdown even indoor development at Pirelli's base was impossible for several weeks, but that work is gradually being restarted as the factory gets back up to speed.
"We are doing some development now," F1 boss Mario Isola told Autosport.
"Unfortunately without testing the ideas on track, and it's always important to validate what you test with simulations or indoor tests.
"Actually we didn't have a lot of possibilities.
"Even though we are not subject to the FIA shutdown, in Italy we had the lockdown, which was quite heavy. So it was impossible for some weeks to carry on any activity.
"We were working from home, and we could use laptops and make simulations on computer, but it was impossible to make any with indoor tests, because everything was closed.
"Now we are restarting activities, and we have the possibility to produce some prototypes and do development without tyre testing on track."
Although track testing is on hold teams had already received some preliminary data on the 18-inch tyres.
"After the test in Jerez with Ferrari and the three sessions we ran last year we were at the point where we had a baseline for 18 inches," said Isola.
"So we are starting from that. We had already released all the data to the teams on the baseline, and then we had to stop everything."
Share Or Save This Story
Krack: Aston Martin F1 team no longer in “no-man’s land”
Gasly rues costly floor damage from Ocon contact in F1 Japanese GP
How an F1 underachiever became a Japanese political player
Why Peugeot swapped Vergne for Vandoorne in WEC 2026
The British drivers seeking outright Le Mans glory after past class triumphs
Di Resta: Peugeot had to overcome wingless 9X8's weaknesses for 2024 WEC upgrade
F1 Hungarian GP: Leclerc tops FP1, Stroll suffers suspected suspension failure with upgraded Aston Martin
Malaysia weighs up F1 2026 round as rescheduled Bahrain GP plan fades
Aston Martin's heavily updated AMR26 breaks cover in Hungary pitlane
LIVE: F1 Hungarian GP updates - Stroll suffers suspension failure as Aston Martin runs massive upgrade package
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments