Drivers delighted after Pirelli test
Formula One teams got a taste of what awaits them next season, with a test drive on the new Pirelli tyres on Friday and Saturday. All twelve teams were pleased with the new rubber and drivers are looking forward to an excellent driving season ahead.
After the final race of the 2010 season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, teams and drivers underwent a two-day driving test at the Yas Marina Circuit on Friday and Saturday. The test was held to let the teams and drivers collect as much data as possible. The next
Formula One season is scheduled to begin in March 2011, but teams are already busy working on next season’s car. The data collected by team engineers will help them design the new cars to suit the new rubber perfectly.
Most of the drivers believe that Pirelli is just as good an addition to the sport as Bridgestone had been for the past 16 years. Pirelli replace Bridgestone as Formula One’s only tyre supplier from next season.
Current World Champion Sebastian Vettel expressed satisfaction, after the initial tests, saying that the tyres were already better than expected. The 23-year-old Red Bull driver won the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi, making him the youngest World
Champion in the history of the sport.
Fernando Alonso, who finished the season in second place with Ferrari, ran 105-laps and was the quickest man after the second test session. The first test drive was topped by Ferrari’s other driver, Felipe Massa. Alonso set the fastest lap of the day in
just 1m 40.529 seconds, which was three-tenths of a second quicker than Vettel in second place.
The two-time World Champion was pleased with the finish, saying that he was happy the sport’s shift to the new rubber was not a traumatic one.
The Spanish driver said, "We had no particular problems ... (and) we are pleased with the way we worked and in how we were able to adapt the setup of the car to suit the new tyres, especially in terms of the work we can do on the new car in preparation for
next season."
Alonso said he it was good to see that Ferrari had a clear advantage over their rivals in the two test sessions.
Seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher also seemed pleased with the new tyres. Following his return to the sport after a gap of three years, and not being able to adjust with the Bridgestone tyres, the German hopes to have a far better season next
year with the new rubber.
Schumacher told reporters after the test session, "We gathered a lot of data and insights, and have positive feedback. In terms of consistency, it looked quite good, but we were using the 2010 car today and it will be all about how these tyres suit our 2011
car."
The 41-year-old is the only driver to have driven with Pirelli tyres before, but that was around 20 years ago and a lot has changed since then.
Ferrari’s Felipe Massa believes his team is well prepared to adapt to the change of tyres next season. He said that the team is going to come back even stronger next season.
The next test drive with all the teams is scheduled to take place in February. However, Pirelli will be carrying another private test in Bahrain in mid-December.
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