Pirelli tests ahead of schedule after Bahrain
27 December, 2010
Dec.27 (PVM) After completing almost 3000 kilometres during testing in Bahrain, with Pedro de la Rosa and Romain Grosjean, Pirelli are confident that they are ahead of schedule in the build-up to the 2011 season.
Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery said after the five day testing at Skhir circuit, “With the extra time we had, we were probably able to put in a little bit more work than we had originally planned, so everything worked out very well in the end.”
He pointed out, “We ran through our entire dry tyre range, and to have reached the point where we are at now, just five months after the F1 tyres ran for the very first time at Mugello in August, is an incredible testimony to the commitment and capability shown by every member of our team.”
A desert sandstorm was a minor set back in the programme as Hembery explains, “I think this goes to show that, wherever you are in the world, uncertain weather can arrive in a variety of forms. But Formula 1 is all about expecting the unexpected, and we were able to quickly react to these changing circumstances by extending our test.”
Feedback from De la Rosa (veteran) and Grosjean (rookie) was positive and similar, “We ran two drivers in order to compare two different sets of feedback, and the fact that they were both saying the same positive things at the end of the test only underlines the progress that we have made. There’s still some work to do, but we can head into 2011 with confidence.”
Pirelli return to Bahrain on 9-10 January, followed by Abu Dhabi on 15-18 January.
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