Pirelli’s Paul Hembery has called for a major rethink to Formula 1’s testing rules come 2017, when a major overhaul of the sport is planned to come into effect.
Currently testing is restricted to just three pre-season and three in-season tests, but that’s been cut further for 2016, with just two pre-season tests planned.
That simply isn’t enough for Pirelli which, if they win the tyre tender, will have to supply a wider rear tyre – 420mm instead of the current 375mm – to cope with the increased downforce demands to make the cars quicker.
“If we stay in the sport it will really need to look at how it is going to go testing,” he said.
“With the changes currently foreseen for ’17, you will have a wider rear tyre, I guess a modification to the front tyre, and cars that will have a very different aero load.
“Because the changes are so vast you don’t want to end up in Barcelona [testing] in March finding out you’ve got major problems.
“So there needs to be a way found to do testing before that.”
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