Pirelli resumes testing with 18-inch tyres next season

Pirelli will start testing 28-inch tyres again next year. Last year the corona virus put a stop to it, but this year we are planning again. Pirelli reported on Twitter that the 18-inch tyres will be tested for 28 days in total.

The tests are in preparation for the 2022 Formula 1 season, which will see new technical regulations. During that season, there will be a switch to 18-inch tyres, which have been in development since 2019. Mario Isola, head of Formula 1, says tests are already underway with the tyres.

"We will test both our slick and wet prototype 18-inch tyres for 2022: we have already started at Jerez in Spain for three days with Ferrari, and we will finish at the French Magny-Cours circuit with Alpine in September."

Tests with 18-inch tyres spread over several sessions

The tests will be spread over multiple sessions with different Formula One teams, according to Isola. A total of nine teams will take part in the tests, providing simulations and test cars. The tests had already started in 2019, but were interrupted by the arrival of the corona virus. Now tyre manufacturer Pirelli is ready to resume testing, but should anything go wrong Isola has a back-up plan ready for this year.

"Nevertheless, we have put together a programme that should allow us to pick up firmly where we left off in 2019 and finalise the specifications for a new generation of tyres under new regulations that will give Formula 1 a very different look next year. I want to thank all the teams for their support in providing simulations and test cars, giving us a good base to work from."

There will be 20 days of testing this year. There will be at least three tests with wets and seven with slicks, with different teams driving. In total, testing amounts to 28 car days in varied conditions.