We spoke to Paul Hembery about testing, the car changes planned for 2017 and whether they'll still be in F1 by then
Wednesday 9 September 2015 08:13, UK
Pirelli have been back in the headlines at the last two races, after the blowouts suffered by Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg at Spa and the uncertainty surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s Italian GP win.
Although the failures at the Belgian GP brought back memories of those seen at Silverstone a couple of years ago, it seems that any corresponding criticism of Pirelli has been nipped in the bud.
Certainly that was the case at Monza, where the FIA said it agreed with the findings of Pirelli's own investigation, which essentially said that track debris and stint length were to blame, Bernie Ecclestone's FOM issued a statement backing the group, and Ecclestone also asked the drivers not to criticise them in public.
Most important of all, after new guidelines on tyre usage were introduced, there was no repeat.
With Michelin having submitted a rival bid to be F1's sole supplier in 2017, it's not cut and dried that Pirelli will stay on – although events last weekend rather suggested that they will.
And even if they do, there's plenty to think about – like how they might reconcile development of a completely different tyre for 2017's new breed of 'aggressive' cars with even tighter testing restrictions next year?
We spoke to Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery:
There are just two pre-season tests in 2016 and no in-season testing at all. Is that a particular concern?
Paul Hembery: "The answer's slightly complex because it's related as well to if we're continuing in Formula 1. In the case that we continue in Formula 1 into 2017, 2016 will be essential to develop the new tyre sizes. They want to go to wider tyres in 2017, so you need to be doing some work in '16 to make sure you're ready for that. In that situation, it's probably not in-season testing the way we've seen in the last two years that we really need to have; it's actually bespoke sessions of tyre testing to allow us to do our work.
"That's something we've already suggested to the FIA - that if we were to renew and stay in Formula 1, we would need to look at a new procedure for testing tyres for the 2017 season."
How would the testing work if the cars, with different tyre sizes, are changing?
PH: "They're going wider, 13-inch tyres but wider. Which means you've got to have a car that can cope with that, and it's not clear whether the teams can simply modify their cars to allow these new wider tyres to go on as a first step. Ideally you want to see the 2017 cars as soon as possible.
"These are the things that are under discussion but something would need to be done. I don't know the solution yet because it's under discussion. Something would need to be done to allow a decent level of testing to be prepared for 2017."
And that would presumably involve asking the teams for the use of their cars?
PH: "Yes, but you go into a cycle then of paranoia where people wonder whether others are getting an advantage because of their testing. We don't really want to go testing with three or four teams at one time – we only need one car – so it's a very complex area and will require agreement. And, I guess, eventually a change to the sporting regulations because at the moment we're unable to do any testing."
That's for 2017 but are the tyres changing for 2016 as well?
PH: "We're looking to change the hard compound and the supersoft compound and we've asked if we can maybe do some testing this year, maybe after the Singapore event or Abu Dhabi. For the harder tyre, we would like to be doing something at Sepang if possible."
So they wouldn't be tested during practice sessions?
PH: "That's okay for verification but for a test session we want one car ultimately and to be able to run through nine specifications a day, repeating the baseline. You can't do it on a Friday, it's just not practicable."
And that would mean using just one team's car?
PH: "You can vary them. It depends on how many sessions you're allowed to do. But certainly Friday testing is extremely limiting and doesn't really give us the level of technical detail that we require."
You mentioned earlier about perhaps not being around in 2017. Michelin have submitted a bid, what's the state of play there?
PH: "We're starting now to talk on a commercial basis and we envisage that September will start giving more detail. That's the next phase. We expect that will last maybe a couple of months, we don't know, but that's not in our hands."
But it seems that Pirelli have a better chance than Michelin because they've stipulated that they want to switch to 18-inch wheels and also say that tyre life should be longer?
PH: "We've always said that we'll do what the sport wants. So if they want 18, 19 or 20 [inch] we'll do it, and we remain of that opinion. At the moment, the teams are asking for 13 inch and wider tyres and we've said, 'okay if you want that we'll do that'. So you'd hope that has some bearing on the decision.
"But having said that, you never know in these situations, it's Formula 1 and it's complex. I believe we'd want to know by the end of October at the latest. I think we need to have a clear indication because, irrespective of anything, the changes for 2017 are vast and the more notice we have to prepare better for it then obviously the more professional job that you can do."
So you're confident that Pirelli will still be around?
PH: "We want to be. We'd like to see, as everybody would, the next step forward in Formula 1. There's a lot of positives in Formula 1 – it's a great sport and still has a huge international audience – but we'd also like to see that grow as well. You can never be happy with what you have; you always want a bit more, so we'd be keen as well to understand how the sport is going to be evolved over the next three years."
