Hembery: 2017 to be 'transition year' for tyres

Nov.25 - Pirelli says it regards 2017 as a transition year as the sport adapts to the radically different technical regulations.

In Abu Dhabi, F1's official supplier unveiled the bigger and wider slicks that will be fitted to next year's much faster cars.

"This was not an easy project because we had to start with many unknowns," boss Paul Hembery is quoted by Speed Week.

He thanked the teams for helping with data, and especially Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari for converting 2015 cars to simulate next year's greater downforce.

"We estimate that these (test) cars have 20 per cent less downforce than the cars we'll see next year," said Hembery.

"So this is a starting point, we'll see the new cars in February and then it will be exciting to see if we can achieve the targets we have set."

He said the characteristics and compounds of the tyres have been changed compared to 2016, "But we can't say yet in detail whether we have been too aggressive or too conservative".

"We will find out in February," Hembery explained. "We see 2017 as a transition year, because we will be able to develop the tyres during the season with the 25 test days in order to have an even better tyre in 2018."

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