Pirelli has two days of testing 2024 tyres with Mercedes and Ferrari

There is no track in the world that Formula 1 drivers know as well as the one near Barcelona. For years, the Circuit de Catalunya was the setting for the annual test days. Although no more testing has taken place prior to this season, the track holds hardly any secrets for the teams - despite the disappearance of the chicane at the turn on the straight.

Turns three and nine are particularly tough on tyres, experience shows. This is partly why Pirelli chose to bring the almost hardest compounds to the Spanish Grand Prix; the C1, C2 and C3. The C1 is a new compound, introduced this season, to bridge the gap between the hardest tyre - now the C0 - and the C2. "In theory, this should hand the teams a wider range of strategic choices, given that the hardest available compound last year wasn’t used at all in the race," Mario Isola, the boss of Pirelli's F1 division, told in a preview.

Soon, the Italian tyre brand will introduce a new compound for its tyres. This will happen at Silverstone, but as early as Barcelona, teams will have the opportunity to test the hardest tyre of this compound during the first two free practice sessions. "Initially this was scheduled for 2024, but its introduction has now been brought forward to make the structure more resistant to fatigue, as the loads generated by the current cars have already reached the targets set for the end of the season after only a few races," Isola said.

The Italian explained that the new compound will not affect the tyre's performance. After the Barcelona race, there is a two-day test with Mercedes and Ferrari. They will be driving prototypes of the tyres for next season at the Barcelona circuit.