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British motorsport publication Autosport reports on Monday that Formula 1 teams have turned down the idea of running rookie drivers during the first two free practice sessions in exchange for extra set of Pirelli tires.
The idea as presented to the other teams by Sahara Force India. It suggested that teams would be given a more durable set of tires that they could run in free practice if they ran a rookie driver.
The idea did not receive the unanimous support from all the teams it needed though, with there being further complications over the exact definition of a rookie driver because some teams have experienced testers who have never actually raced in F1.
Pirelli will provide extra sets of tires
“As permitted by the current regulations, we'll be supplying an extra set of prototype hard compound tires for free practice, which will hopefully ensure that all the cars run throughout these sessions,” said Paul Hembery, Pirelli's director of motorsport.
“It's something we wanted to do to encourage all the teams to run as much as possible right from the start, especially with the rookie drivers, to give fans the spectacle they deserve to see.”
This should encourage all the teams to run throughout the entire length of the sessions, rather than opt to conserve tires for the rest of the race weekend.
These tires will not be the same as the P Zero Orange hard tires used for the rest of the weekend, but are instead a specially-created compound with the emphasis on durability so that the teams run for as long as possible.
To distinguish these tires, they will not carry any colour markings.
The idea as presented to the other teams by Sahara Force India. It suggested that teams would be given a more durable set of tires that they could run in free practice if they ran a rookie driver.
The idea did not receive the unanimous support from all the teams it needed though, with there being further complications over the exact definition of a rookie driver because some teams have experienced testers who have never actually raced in F1.
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| Photo: Pirelli |
Pirelli will provide extra sets of tires
“As permitted by the current regulations, we'll be supplying an extra set of prototype hard compound tires for free practice, which will hopefully ensure that all the cars run throughout these sessions,” said Paul Hembery, Pirelli's director of motorsport.
“It's something we wanted to do to encourage all the teams to run as much as possible right from the start, especially with the rookie drivers, to give fans the spectacle they deserve to see.”
This should encourage all the teams to run throughout the entire length of the sessions, rather than opt to conserve tires for the rest of the race weekend.
These tires will not be the same as the P Zero Orange hard tires used for the rest of the weekend, but are instead a specially-created compound with the emphasis on durability so that the teams run for as long as possible.
To distinguish these tires, they will not carry any colour markings.