FIA approves large increase in testing for 2017 tyres

2016 F1 season

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The FIA has given formal approval to a substantial increase in testing in order to develop the tyres which will be used from next year and beyond.

With a major overhaul of the tyre rules planned for next season F1’s official tyre supplier had requested a significant increase in testing to produce suitable compounds.

The rules change will allow “25 car days of testing with current cars, fitted with 2017 tyre sizes, in 2016, 2017 and 2018”, the FIA announced on Wednesday. Just four days of testing were carried between the first and last races of 2015.

FIA statement on new tyre testing rules

The World Motor Sport Council today approved changes to Articles 10.2 and 10.6 of the Formula One Sporting Regulations in order to provide the appointed tyre supplier additional opportunities to undertake testing in preparation for the 2017 season.

The further testing was deemed to be essential for the purpose of developing the new tyre sizes permitted by the 2017 F1 Technical Regulations.

The changes will allow 25 car days of testing with current cars, fitted with 2017 tyre sizes, in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

In addition, there will be an opportunity to test prototype 2017 tyres (in 2016 sizes) on 2013 or 2014 cars – these tests on older cars only apply in 2016.

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Keith Collantine
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15 comments on “FIA approves large increase in testing for 2017 tyres”

  1. Is that 25 days in each year, or 25 days split between the 3 years?

    1. @grippgoat i think its 25 days between june 2016 to the start of the 2017 season

  2. Jonathan Fuller
    20th April 2016, 21:10

    What is a car day? Does this mean one day of testing with 10 cars running is ’10 car days’?

    1. knoxploration
      21st April 2016, 12:42

      Essentially, yes. 25 car days is 12.5 days testing with two cars.

  3. Yay, now they can all fight over who gets to do the testing, and then claim unfair treatment/advantages etc. Here we go with round 2 of the tyre testing saga, (ding ding ding), fight! :-)

  4. How is testing with these cars going to be relivent when next years cars are suppose to be so different

    1. It’s the best you can do as they cannot wait until 2017 cars are ready to test the tyres then manufacture the right types for the start of the season.

      1. With lap times being ~7 seconds per lap quicker, the loads going through the tyres are going to massively different. They might as well test them with a shopping trolley

        1. They might be able to extrapolate what is needed through simulation after getting core data from 2013 cars. It will be a very hard job and probably all the more reason as to why excessive degradation should not be built into the tyres, physics will take care of that so hopefully they will make the best possible tyres they can in terms of performance and low deg. After a season they will have far more data should they be requested to mess about with building in tyre deg.

  5. Why not have a schedule of 3 day testing sessions at different circuits once every month, in addition to tire testing?

    1. The little teams at the back of the grid will complain.

  6. Is this to test tyres that will be grippy and long lasting, or will they be testing tyres with a view to “improve the show” again?

  7. Has Pirelli announced the tire options for every race yet?

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