Pirelli has confirmed that it will introduce a new construction of Formula 1 tyre at the British Grand Prix, which will be used for the remainder of the 2023 season.
The new tyre will be more robust than the previous specification and has been pushed through due to the increase in car performance throughout the grid.
Pirelli has highlighted that the current spread of F1 cars are rapidly developing following the introduction of new technical regulations last year.
While there are no immediate safety concerns, Pirelli’s intervention comes as it hopes to avoid problems further down the line.
Under F1’s regulations, any in-season construction changes must be met with the approval of the teams.
Pirelli stated on Friday that permission has been granted under Article 10.8.3 of the technical regulations, which states that F1 tyre “will not be changed without the agreement of the Formula One Commission. Notwithstanding the above, the FIA may decide to change the specification during the Championship season for safety reasons without notice or delay.”
Pirelli’s Head of F1, Mario Isola
Drivers will be able to sample the tyres during free practice in Barcelona later this month before they are ushered through in full for the British Grand Prix, which takes place from July 7 – 9.
“We’ve seen how much more performance the 2023 cars have compared to last year throughout the opening races of this season, and that is thanks to the extraordinary pace of development shown by all 10 of the teams,” said Pirelli’s Head of F1, Mario Isola.
“In Miami, for example, the pole time was nearly two seconds faster than last year, but the same sort of progress has been seen during races as well.
“Pirelli’s simulation work has always been aimed at not only supplying a product that hits the performance targets specified by stakeholders, but also anticipating any potential problems and reacting to them quickly.
“The new specification contains materials that we have already developed for 2024, which will make the tyres more resistant without affecting any of the other technical parameters or their behaviour on track.
“To allow all the teams to test the new construction on a level playing field, Pirelli will supply two extra tyre sets per car to be used during FP1 and FP2 at the Spanish Grand Prix.”
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