Pirelli testing to begin this week
Pirelli tyres have been confirmed as the sole tyre suppliers for Formula 1 for the years 2011 till 2013. The FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) confirmed the deal with the Italian company earlier this year. Pirelli seemed to be the favourite option after Bridgestone announced that they would leave Formula One after 2010. The FIA stated that the company has been selected as the single tyre suppliers for Formula 1 for the next three years which will strictly adhere to the sporting and technical regulations implemented by Formula 1.
The former tyre suppliers Michelin were also considered to be the front-runners for this prestigious position. However, Michelin made it very clear that they would only be willing to take part in the bidding if there was a tyre war. It meant that Michelin wanted to join Formula 1 only if Formula One was willing to hire two tyre suppliers. Unfortunately, that was not what the FIA had in mind. The French company issued a statement claiming they never officially applied to become Formula 1’s new tyre supplier after Pirelli’s deal with Formula 1. According to the competition boss of Michelin, the company asked FIA to improve the show and create a positive environment while controlling the costs and increasing competition between the manufacturers. However, the FIA did not seem interested. Therefore, Michelin was out of the game.
Michelin had quite a history with Formula 1 as they were the first tyre suppliers to introduce radial tyre technology in 1977. The French suppliers returned in 2001 and supplied tyres to some of the most dominant teams in the business. The last race on Michelin tyres was the Japanese Grand Prix in 2006 that was won by Spanish driver Fernando Alonso, driving the Renault.
However, after the confirmation of Pirelli, reports suggested that the 2007 Formula 1 champion Kimi Raikkonen could be testing the new Pirelli tyres. The Fin currently drives as a full-time driver in the Pirelli-shod World Rally Championship. This will be the first time since 1991 that Pirelli will be supplying tyres for Formula 1 racing.The second option was to use Mercedes test driver Nick Heidfeld. However, officials stated this might hand Mercedes an unfair advantage. However, later this year, Nick Heidfeld was confirmed to test the tyres behind the wheel of a Toyota.
Nick Heidfeld signed with the Formula 1 in the year 2000 when he joined team Prost and is known as one of the shortest drivers to drive on the F1 grid. The first season was tough for him as he was not even able to score a single point. However, Nick performed consistently that earned him a spot in Sauber the following year. The German stayed with the team for three years. During this period, he earned a podium position and his best drivers standing was an 8th place finish in 2001. Nick joined Jordan in 2004 before joining team Williams in 2005. The 33-year-old earned 3 podium positions and a pole position with the team and scored 28 points which earned him the 11th position in the drivers’ standings.
In 2006, Heidfeld joined team BMW Sauber that seemed to be the high point of his career. He stayed with the team until 2009 and earned seven podium positions during this time. His best season performance came in the year 2007 when he scored 61 points, earning the 5th position in the drivers’ standings with 2 podium finishes. However, Nick is still to score the first win of his career. He is currently the test driver for team Mercedes but has announced that he will not be a part of the team next year.
The three-day testing program is expected to begin on 16 August at the Mugello Circuit. Further testing is expected to take place at Jerez Monza, Le Castellet before returning to Mugello.
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