By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief
Pirelli and the FIA have finally reached an agreement to keep the Italian tire manufacturer as Formula 1’s exclusive supplier until the end of the 2019 season.
A deal had already been in place with Formula 1 Management for Pirelli to remain in the sport, but a testing plan needed to be agreed upon with the FIA prior to signing the contract.
The agreement was to ensure that the Pirelli had enough track time to develop next year’s tires due to the wider specifications.
The specific agreements can be seen below:
- Tests with 2012, 2013 or 2014-specification cars, using tyres in the current size but with prototype elements (in the constructions or compounds) to prepare for 2017.
- A total of 25 days of testing with modified 2015 cars, using prototype tires in 2017 size: 305/670-13 at the front and 405/670-13 at the rear (for slick tires).
A second type of testing using the 2017 tire size will begin over the summer.
