Formula One official tyre supplier Pirelli will supply a new design of rain tyres to F1 teams for the 2019 season. It was already known that the Italian supplier has tweaked its dry compounds for the new season, and simplified the colouring process for the fans.
But leading German automobile magazine based in Hamburg Auto Bild now informs that Pirelli has also made new rain and intermediate tyres for 2019, specifically to reduce the risk of aquaplaning: “Especially since the wider tyres have been used since 2017, the problem has worsened,” the German publication recently said – “Pirelli wants to remedy that now. Additionally, the working window of the intermediates is now larger, which is intended to increase the overlap between dry and rain tyres and therefore boost the tactical variations,” Auto Bild concluded.
With less than three weeks until pre-season testing for 2019 kicks off in Barcelona, and Pirelli already has an eye on the weather that could prevail in Spain on March 18. Last year’s adverse conditions – marked by freezing temperatures, sleet and snow – practically led to a write-off of the first week of testing, and Formula 1’s tyre supplier is wary of a cold front hitting once again the Circuit de Catalunya in mid-February.
During last year’s wash-out teams mulled the possibility of organizing pre-season at a warmer that would potentially guarantee better conditions, such as Bahrain. In the end however, Barcelona remained the venue of choice, due to the fact that the track and its location still offer Formula 1 the best compromise.
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