Formula One teams are divided over whether track testing will have to be increased to coincide with new tyre regulations for 2017.
Changes to the tyre dimension are being planned for 2017 along with other alterations to the cars. Pirelli, who have been chosen by Bernie Ecclestone to continue as F1’s official tyre supplier from 2017 to 2019, is keen to see an increase in testing to prepare for the changes.
“The tyres for 2017, the diameter and the width is significantly different so it’s not as easy as just bolting those tyres onto a current car,” said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
“The downforce levels are going to be significantly different in 2017 to ’16 so therefore it’s going to be very difficult to build a car that is going to simulate what Pirelli need for 2017 so they’re going to have to rely a little bit like the rest of us on accurate simulation in order to make sure the product fits what it’s required for or find another way, outside of Formula One, of testing those tyres.”
“We have some testing sessions at the beginning of the season and this should be enough. We have 20 races and if you look at the calendar, if you want to do some tests in between, you need to build up a test team which means we have to bring in another ten, fifteen mechanics, another five to seven engineers and at the end of the year, we have spent around ten million more and I’m just asking whether this is necessary?”
“Absolutely not. I can give you the answer, because we have seen now the last years that without testing we can also achieve our goals. It’s just wasting money.”
An increase in costs may be unavoidable, said McLaren’s racing director Eric Boullier. “It’s true that it’s going to bring the costs up. This is not something that we’re obviously in favour of.”
“We also need to understand that Pirelli maybe needs some track experience so all in one I guess if they can cover the cost or most of the cost of it so we can maybe find some agreement in the middle or in between, not having to necessarily bring back testing like in the old days but maybe a few days.”
Simon (@weeniebeenie)
24th October 2015, 13:57
Call me naive but how hard can it be for a tyre manufacturer who have a huge amount of experience to make great racing tyres? I mean yes the 2017 cars are going to be different but they’re still going to be fast racing cars experiencing very heavy loads, they’re not something completely alien.
anon
24th October 2015, 15:01
@weeniebeenie, the answer is that it is more difficult than you think – whilst advances in technology mean that manufacturers can place greater reliance on computational modelling and laboratory testing, it is still the case that the tyre manufacturers depend on track testing for verification and calibration of those models.
Pirelli can have a rough idea of the sort of loads that the teams will be putting through the tyres, but that still leaves a fairly large margin – there have been times when the teams have underestimated the performance gains they have made during a season, whilst in other years teams have made slower progress. It is an issue that has cropped up in other series as well and it isn’t necessarily an easy situation to resolve.
Srdjan Mandic (@srga91)
24th October 2015, 15:01
I think you underestimate the task that Pirelli was given by the FIA.
They have to build racing tyres that have got a lot of grip and are good for the show. Plus they have to complete that task with literally no testing (next season only 8 days of pre-season testing), which would be very much needed when bringing in new or modified compounds of tyres. If something goes wrong, like at Spa this season or 2013, then it’s all Pirelli’s fault. Everybody is bashing them for building “shitty” tyres.
Honestly I don’t understand why they’ve agreed to carry on. There is no benefit for the company Pirelli to stay in F1 under the current circumstances.
For god’s sake, they haven’t even got an up-to-date F1 car to go testing by themselves.
BasCB (@bascb)
24th October 2015, 15:25
yes, I call you naive @weeniebeenie. Just look at how hard it is to build a car that is fast, or a great engine. And then you take in account that a) you will not know what cars teams build b) how much power the engines will be able to produce c) what the teams will come up with to get more out of your tyres as well as d) how different the cars will be, all having slightly different effects on tyre use/abuse and last but not least e) the expectations of what your tyres will have to be up to in regards to lasting and being fast.
Its not easy at all, and its incredibly hard to do without any testing. Not to mention that Pirelli certainly will not have anything close to a “realistic” model even for simulation of a 2017 car before the teams do, and they would already have to have the tyre development ready by the time the aero gets set in stone by the teams.
Andy (@andybantam)
24th October 2015, 16:14
You can’t pursue a cutting edge technology without testing. Well, you can, but it might just turn out to be a bit rubbish.
Refinement of technology requires testing as much as jogging requires shoes.
glacierre
24th October 2015, 15:08
I don’t think that is that difficult to make good tyres, the problem is that the specification of FIA for Pirelli is a ‘not-so-good-but-safe’ tyre. They should wear and meet the cliff, but at the same time they should not burst. Combining both (very contradictory) features is a finicky thing and the reason why more testing would help.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
24th October 2015, 17:44
increase off-season testing -> complain about testing being too expensive -> reduce testing -> ban in-season testing -> complain about lack of in-season testing -> allow in-season testing -> complain about testing being too expensive -> ban in-season testing -> complain about lack of testing -> increase off-season testing -> repeat
That’s how it goes since mid-2000s…
NeoGalaxy (@neogalaxy)
24th October 2015, 19:50
I can’t lie but what the McLaren guys are saying is strange. They wanted to test the engine but they can’t afford to test the tires… sorry but it’s not the same thing? I mean what’s stopping you to test the engine and the tires in the same time? McLaren was the 1st team that was against the testing since they hoped… to have an advantage in the wind tunnel, which helped them to win… one title. But last year they were the 1st to ask for more testing days, and when the people wanted to vote for more testing days, they voted against it. Now it’s the tires, Pirelli want to test the future tires for 2017, but OMG McLaren can’t afford it. Then who the hell can you afford to test the engine? It’s not the same budget?
But for the testing I think it’s FIA who’s to blame here. They should test the tires for 2017, since there’s some big changes there, and they should test at least 2-3 different sessions during 2016. If McLaren can’t afford it, then go home guys and do something else.
Bio
24th October 2015, 20:38
If a team can’t withstand testing cost, it shouldn’t be allowed to compete in F1. As simple as that. Pirelli has all the rights to require a good amount of testing time to deliver proper tyres, something they’ve never had since they’re back in F1…and people complain alla the time about their tyres…ridiculous. I remember when Bridgestone and Michelin were in F1 they made 60.000 km of testing (or more) and people could go on track and see them testing at a fraction of the price they ask for a race ticket. Give’em proper testing finally!
Yes (@come-on-kubica)
24th October 2015, 23:31
Just do a few tests by staying at the track after a few races? Shouldn’t increase costs too much. Heck most tracks will probably pay for the extra days to neutralize the cost of testing.