Pirelli completes first F1 2021 18-inch tyre test with Sirotkin
Pirelli has completed its first test with Formula 1's 2021 18-inch tyres, with former Williams driver Sergey Sirotkin completing 213 laps at French Grand Prix venue Paul Ricard
Sirotkin completed 213 laps in a modified mule car based on the 2018 Renault, with McLaren and Mercedes set to run their mule cars in October and December respectively.
Pirelli's 18-inch development programme will increase to 25 test days in 2020, which will be shared among the 10 teams and utilise either 2018' or '19 mule cars.
The definitive tyres will then be run in a three-day group test following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
"We completed our planned programme as expected, covering 213 laps with the 18-inch tyres over two days," said Pirelli F1 boss Mario Isola.
"This was very useful for us to take a first look at the new generation of tyres and start shaping the development path that we will follow for the remainder of this year and next year.
"Of course, it is hard to read too much into this test as these are still very early days, but we have accumulated all the preliminary data that we wanted in good weather conditions, so thank you very much to Renault and Sergey for their availability."
Alongside Sirotkin's running, Esteban Ocon completed 212 laps in a 2019-spec Mercedes as Pirelli completed what is scheduled to be its final test for its 2020 tyres.
Some sources have indicated that yesterday's meeting in Geneva - primarily to discuss F1's 2021 direction - had an agreement to keep the 2019 construction fixed in '20, as the September 1 deadline for confirming a new spec had been missed.
Others have suggested that the situation remains fluid, with an agreement yet to be reached.
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