Friday at Interlagos saw the Formula 1 teams try out experimental rubber ahead of the 2013 season, as Pirelli rolled out an orange-marked compound for first practice. This was the drivers’ only chance to gain a handle on the tyres before pre-season testing.
“With testing opportunities so limited in Formula 1, we wanted to give teams the opportunity to try out our tyres before the first official test in February next year, so that they can start to understand how the new tyres interact with the current cars,” Paul Hembery, Pirelli’s Motorsport Director, explained after three hours of practice in Brazil.
“The initial feedback we received has been very positive: the tyre that the teams tried today has a different structure with a faster warm-up. This delivers extra performance within a wider working range, due to increased cornering grip, which is exactly what we were aiming for. When we combine the new structure with the new compounds for next year, we will see the full performance potential.”
The Slick compounds on offer this weekend are the silver-marked Hard and white-marked Medium, although these will not be used on Sunday if it rains. Pirelli was not able to confirm their 2013 tyre marking colours when questioned by GPUpdate.net this afternoon.
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| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  L. Hamilton | McLaren | 01:14.026 | 35 |
| 2. | S. Vettel | Red Bull | 01:14.300 | 40 |
| 3. | M. Webber | Red Bull | 01:14.523 | 37 |
| 4. | F. Massa | Ferrari | 01:14.553 | 37 |
| 5. | F. Alonso | Ferrari | 01:14.592 | 37 |
| 6. | M. Schumacher | Mercedes | 01:14.654 | 36 |
| 7. | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 01:14.669 | 40 |
| 8. | J. Button | McLaren | 01:14.863 | 40 |
| 9. | R. Grosjean | Lotus | 01:14.994 | 37 |
| 10. | P. di Resta | Force India | 01:15.129 | 39 |
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