Pirelli continued its testing programme at France’s Paul Ricard circuit on Thursday morning as Nick Heidfeld once again drove a 2009 Toyota chassis. The outing marked further preparations for the returning Italian tyre company, which claims it is ahead of schedule prior to a further test in Spain in a fortnight’s time.
2011 will mark Pirelli’s first season of Formula 1 for 20 years, having won the tender from governing body the FIA to run its PZero product until at least the end of the 2013 season after Bridgestone announced that it is withdrawing.
As well as former Mercedes reserve Heidfeld, who is concentrating on both tyre constructions and compounds, 2008 GP2 Champion Giorgio Pantano was present to run the rubber which the series will change onto next year.
“We're very happy with the progress we've made so far, which actually puts us slightly ahead of where we expected to be at this point in time,” commented Pirelli Motorsport Director Paul Hembery, with Heidfeld having been treated to track temperatures of 28°C (82°F) on what is a pleasant day for weather.
“We worked through an initial development programme that has given us a useful insight into the performance of our prototype tyres under a wide range of conditions, corners and speeds. We've been hugely encouraged by what we've seen up to now and that's been helped by both Nick's clear and precise feedback, as well as all the different possibilities afforded to us by the Paul Ricard circuit.”
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