Pirelli will introduce a new specification of slick tire from the British Grand Prix onwards in response to the increased level of performance Formula 1 cars are delivering in 2023.
Lap times have been consistently faster in the opening five rounds despite the change to the floor regulations that was expected to cost around half a second. Pole position at the Miami Grand Prix was some two seconds faster than a year ago, albeit aided by a new track surface, and Pirelli has been working on a new construction for its dry weather tires to better deal with future developments that will further increase speeds and downforce levels.
“We’ve seen how much more performance the 2023 cars have compared to last year throughout the opening races of this season, and that is thanks to the extraordinary pace of development shown by all 10 of the teams,” Pirelli head of motorsport Mario Isola said. “In Miami, for example, the pole time was nearly two seconds faster than last year, but the same sort of progress has been seen during races as well.
“Pirelli’s simulation work has always been aimed at not only supplying a product that hits the performance targets specified by stakeholders, but also anticipating any potential problems and reacting to them quickly.
“The new specification contains materials that we have already developed for 2024, which will make the tires more resistant without affecting any of the other technical parameters or their behavior on track. To allow all the teams to test the new construction on a level playing field, Pirelli will supply two extra tire sets per car to be used during FP1 and FP2 at the Spanish Grand Prix.”
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There are still five races to run before the new tires debut at Silverstone, including three straight weekends at Imola, Monaco and Barcelona followed by the Canadian Grand Prix in June and a trip to Austria at the start of July.
Pirelli had to request the change in tire specifications under the current technical regulations, with the update being approved by the FIA.