Ferrari wraps up Pirelli tyre test programme
The second and final day of Pirelli’s tyre-testing programme at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has come to an end. The session was dedicated to the development of the slick tyres that will be used during the next Formula 1 season.
Several manufacturers took part in the data-gathering programme, with Arthur Leclerc driving for Ferrari in place of his brother Charles Leclerc, who was on track on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Guanyu Zhou continued Cadillac’s testing duties. Arthur Leclerc completed 141 laps, covering a total of 657 kilometres. He finished the day with the fastest lap time of 1:17.430. For comparison, Charles Leclerc’s quickest lap during the previous day’s running was a 1:16.619.
Guanyu Zhou completed 130 laps and recorded a best time of 1:19.321. The Chinese driver improved by approximately two seconds compared to his performance on the opening day of the test. The morning programme focused on comparative evaluations of different structural solutions for Pirelli’s C2 tyre compound. Engineers assessed the various configurations through both short runs and longer stints in order to gather detailed performance data.
Following the lunch break, attention shifted entirely towards race simulations. Teams concentrated on analysing the behaviour of the different evolutions of the same compound over longer distances, collecting valuable information for future tyre development.
Track conditions remained extremely demanding, mirroring those experienced during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend. Temperatures once again reached scorching levels, with the asphalt peaking at 58°C while ambient temperatures climbed to 36°C. Across the two days of testing at the Montmeló circuit, a total of 605 laps were completed, covering more than 2,800 kilometres. These figures also include the work carried out by Jak Crawford in Aston Martin machinery during Tuesday’s session.
Pirelli’s development programme will now move to Silverstone, where Mercedes and Williams are scheduled to take part in another slick-tyre testing session. The next round of development work is set to take place immediately after the British Grand Prix weekend.
Rafael Câmara also returns to the track for Ferrari
Ferrari’s workload extended beyond the Pirelli tyre programme, as the team was also involved in a TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) session.
Rafael Câmara, the reigning Formula 3 champion and recent winner of the Barcelona Formula 2 Feature Race, returned to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to continue his development programme behind the wheel of the Ferrari SF-25.
The Brazilian youngster added further mileage for the Scuderia as Ferrari balanced tyre development duties with its ongoing driver evaluation and preparation activities, making it another productive day of testing for the Maranello team.
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