Pirelli Will Debut New Hard Tire in Barcelona

Pirelli will debut a new compound tire in the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix, to be held on Circuit de Catalunya this weekend. After having thoroughly tested a new hard tire in the Friday practice sessions of the Turkish Grand Prix – and following private test meetings in Istanbul and Barcelona – the Italian tire maker is ready to debut it this very weekend.

The new tire is believed to degrade harder – and consequently last longer during qualifying and race – but, in exchange, provide lower grip.

“We said from the start of the year that we would introduce evolutions of the tires if we believed that they would benefit the sport and Barcelona marks the first occasion that we have done this,” said Pirelli motor sport director Paul Hembery.

For the Barcelona weekend ahead, Pirelli has once again set up a one-step gap in tire allocations, meaning the option tire will be soft. That being said, most drivers will still have to visit the pit lane three times (or around that number) on Sunday, as confirmed by Hembery himself.

“It's not a huge step over the original hard tyre but it does mean that there is a bigger gap between the soft and the hard, which will definitely give teams the opportunity to use more creative strategies,” added the Pirelli man.

“In Barcelona, based on the data we have seen in testing, we’re probably expecting around three pit stops per car. It takes a lot longer to enter and leave the pits in Barcelona than it did in Turkey, and this is another factor that will have a definite influence on strategy.”