Pirelli to Use GP2 Car to Test 2011 F1 Tires

Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli yesterday confirmed that they will use a GP2 car to test their 2011 tires. Although recent reports have suggested that the new sole supplier of Formula One would use a former Toyota machinery to test their new compound, Pirelli's director of motorsport Paul Hembrey confirmed otherwise.

According to the Pirelli motorsport head, the GP2 car will be used as “a test-bed, particularly for integrity reasons, reliability and stability, it's probably a good starting point.” The announcement comes only a few hours after Pirelli and the GP2 Series have signed a 3-year deal for sole tire supply, complementing the ones reached by the Italian carmaker with F1 and the GP3 Series.

“GP2 is the acknowledged stepping stone to Formula one and it was our wish to become part of its success story. Following our agreement for the inaugural GP3 Series and with F1, adding GP2 to our activities make us the single supplier to all the most prestigious racing championships in the world from 2011,” added Hembrey.

Considering that Pirelli was (and is) already supplying tires to the World Rally Championship, one could argue that the company's budget for the upcoming few years would have to be increased. However, chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera said otherwise, insisting that Pirelli will work within their existing budget.

As decided by the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) recently, starting 2011 all the teams will pay for their tires in the series, meaning Pirelli's development costs “will be zero compared to our budget,” confirmed Provera.

Additionally, the FIA recently announced that the WRC will allow multiple tire suppliers to be part of the series starting 2011, meaning Pirelli's involvement in the rallying championship would be diminished.