Pirelli deny testing tyre shortage rumours

Pirelli has denied that there was a shortage of tyres for the pre-season F1 tests at the Circuit de Catalunya. Teams had claimed that their running was curtailed due to a lack of tyres.

With the added reliability of the 2019 cars as teams embark on their sixth season with the hybrid power unit technology, running was far more consistent than in previous years.

Paired with the weather being much more agreeable than during the first 2018 tests, teams up and down the pitlane suggested that there is a lack of Pirelli rubber to allow them to complete their run plans.

Head of motorsport for Pirelli, Mario Isola denied the 'rumours' adding that the teams had more than enough tyres to see them through the eight days of pre-season testing.

"I heard some comments, rumours about some teams not happy about the number of sets available for testing," Isola is quoted by Autosport.

"It [the number of sets] was reduced because the number of test days were reduced. In proportion, it's the same number of sets they've had for the last 10 years, probably.

"Obviously this year with these good weather conditions and with the cars that are very reliable, all the teams had the opportunity to run a lot more than in the past. But I don't think that the number of sets is not enough."