Pirelli has completed the development tests of the Formula 1 lowered tires for the 2022 season. With the last test session held yesterday by Daniil Kvyat with the Alpine at the Paul Ricard circuit with wet tires, the Milanese manufacturer concluded the program for the resolution of 18-inch tires that will be used for the first time by next year’s ground-effect single-seaters.
Compared to the current 13-inch, that of the 18-inch is a completely new project: a complete redesign has been carried out that involved all the elements of the tire, from the profiles, to the structure, to the compounds. There were 28 days of track tests for the new tires in 2021, 36 in total if we also consider those carried out between the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 before the stop caused by COVID-19.
Analyzing the numbers supporting the development activity, the new 18 inches can count on a work that is the result of over 10,000 hours of indoor testing, more than 5,000 hours of simulation and more than 70 solutions developed virtually to then create the 30 specifications that are been tested on the track by the pilots.
There were 4,267 laps of the track and more than 20,000 kilometers traveled, equal to about half the circumference of the Earth. In total, 392 sets were used, i.e. 1,568 tires.
The tests on the track saw the participation of almost all the teams and 19 drivers, including 15 among those currently competing in the championship. The role of the riders was fundamental: each of them offered their own contribution, at different stages, to the development of the new product and this allowed Pirelli to design the new tire step by step on the basis of their feedback and expectations. .
“With the last test we have finally completed the development process of the new 18-inch wheels – said Mario Isola, head of four-wheelers at Pirelli Motorsport -. Last year the pandemic forced us to completely revise the schedule and to cancel all tests on the track to focus on simulation activities and virtualization and modeling processes. It is precisely virtual screening that has allowed us to optimize the number of specifications to be produced and to return to testing on the track in 2021 for 28 days “.
“We started the development process starting from the profiles and then moving on to the basic construction and, in the final phase, we concentrated on identifying the five compounds of the range to be homologated for next year”.
“The results obtained so far, which is a fundamental aspect for us, have also been confirmed by the drivers who currently compete in the world championship and who have had the opportunity to test them, albeit only with mule cars. However, next year we will have further test days available which will allow us, if necessary, to refine the tires using the new single-seaters ”.
“Now, after the validation of the specifications by the FIA, in the tests following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix all the drivers will have the opportunity to try the 18-inch in the final version, even if we will have to wait for next year’s early championship tests. to see them in action for the first time with the 2022 single-seaters “.
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