Pirelli has defended its 2020-spec tyres after they received criticism during a recent test during the United States Grand Prix weekend.
Formula 1's sole tyre supplier has tweaked its tyres for next season in the hope of reducing overheating and allowing them to operate in a wider temperature range.
However during the Austin test they received mixed feedback, with teams floating the idea of scrapping the tyres and sticking with the current 2019-spec compounds for next season – F1's final season using 13-inch rims before it switches to 18-inch rims.
Pirelli's motorsport boss Mario Isola defended the tyres and is hopeful that a more representative test in Abu Dhabi at the start of December will prove the new construction is right for the sport.
"The feedback was mixed," he said. "I believed that we had quite difficult conditions in Austin. It was very cold and the new tyres are designed with a different philosophy.
"So the plan now is to test them again in Abu Dhabi where we have a two-day test planned specifically for testing the new construction and new compounds. We will have a comparison that is more reliable compared to Austin.
"We tested this new construction during the year with the teams and with their cars and we found an improvement in terms of overheating, in terms of compounds with a wider working range – but mainly the new construction was designed because every year the performance of the cars is increasing and obviously we have to follow this increase in performance."
Isola explained that if F1 were to stick with the current 2019-spec tyres, then they would be forced to increase the tyre pressures, which would only exacerbate the overheating issues.
"If we don’t change the construction, the only possibility is to raise the starting pressure – and raising the starting pressure is making the overheating worse and the behaviour of the tyre in general worse.
"So, the new construction has been designed with the target to keep the pressure as low as possible, according to the improvement in the performance of the cars."
Isola does however remain open to scrapping the tyres if, after the Abu Dhabi test where the sole focus will be on testing the tyres, the teams continue to take issue with them.
"I fully understand during the race weekend all the teams are focussed on the race weekend itself, so they cannot adjust the set-up of the car – the aero-balance of the car – and the new tyres have a different profile. They are wider, especially on the rear, and this has an impact on the downforce of the car, as well as the balance of the car.
"So, we need a bit more time to test them properly on long runs, to understand if we achieve this target. After that, obviously we are very happy to accept any… not accept any decision but to discuss the result of the test and to see what is better for the sport."
