New tyre at Silverstone a success? 'We don't even understand the current one'

Two more Grands Prix and then Formula 1 teams will start using Pirelli tyres with a modified construction. Before its final introduction at Silverstone, the teams were able to test with the tyres during two free practice sessions in Spain. Whether that was really useful? Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari team boss, has his doubts about it.

The '23 cars are faster than originally expected. The current cars are reportedly already producing the amount of downforce that Pirelli only expected by the end of the season. Therefore, the Italian company has decided to introduce a stronger tyre. However, the composition of the new tyres does not change and so it remains otherwise identical to the current tyres.

'Judgement is difficult'

Indeed, the teams - and thus Ferrari - used the new tyres briefly in Barcelona. But of course a Grand Prix was scheduled after last Friday, so too long the test could not last. The verdict? "It's not an easy one when you do five laps with the tyre," Vasseur told the media, including GPblog. "To have a clear picture of it, we did thousands of laps with the current one and we are still not able to understand. It doesn't mean that you don't have speed to understand that you can only do five laps."

It is the plan that tyre warmers will no longer be allowed to be used from next season on, although there is already a rumor in the paddock that this idea will soon be cancelled. The question at the moment is whether Pirelli will manage to create a tyre that can do without tyre warmers. "This one that we are waiting for the feedback from Pirelli, it's much more on their end. We are doing this kind of test, we are also in line, but we are not in the statistics," Vasseur said.