Exclusive
After a new wet tyre, Pirelli now have intermediates without tyre blankets
Pirelli already introduced a new full wet tyre and now have new intermediates ready for F1. The new tyre has already been tested but will not yet be in action in 2023, Mario Isola reveals in an exclusive interview with GPblog.
New wet tyre from Pirelli
Since the Monaco Grand Prix, Formula 1 drivers have had access to a new wet tyre. This wet tyre had to work without tyre blankets and ensure that the tyres are actually used in a race. The tyres were first used in Monaco and Montreal. Isola says drivers and teams are very pleased with the new design.
"We did a bigger change on the wet tyre. Not only because they can be used without blankets but also because we were looking for a better performance of the wet tyre in order to have more crossover with the intermediates. We have had some wet races. I'm quite interested to see if tomorrow is wet and how the tyre is performing in wet conditions here at Silverstone," the Pirelli boss told GPblog.
According to the Italian, drivers and teams are also pleased with the new wet tyre: "The feedback was super positive. In the development test, they immediately found that the warm-up was even better in cold conditions than the old tyre with blankets."
Intermediates without tyre blankets in 2024
Pirelli are not standing still, as the new wet tyre is the first step in F1's plans to move to tyres that no longer need tyre blankets. Pirelli already have an intermediate ready to be used by F1 teams, although that won't happen in 2023.
"Now we also have an intermediate tyre that is ready. In the last couple of days of the wet test, which was in the middle of May, we tested this new intermediate. It was a good step. Alpine was also testing, and Esteban Ocon gave me very positive feedback on that, but it has been decided to introduce this new one in 2024.''
The new intermediate will be able to be used right at the start of the 2024 F1 season. Whether there will also be a dry-weather tyre that can be used without tyre blankets remains to be seen. Pirelli will prepare a report for F1 after Silverstone, after which the F1 Commission will decide whether those tyres will be used in 2024.