Pirelli Unhappy With 'Old' Renault R30

Italian Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli has admitted that it would prefer to test with an up-to-date car, as opposed to the Renault R30 from the 2010 season it is currently using. The Renault car in question was raced by Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov with a recognisable yellow livery.

Tyre operating temperatures have been the story of this season, with teams struggling to find the perfect window in which to use their tyres. This has resulted in several dramatic changes to the order during races and therefore a lot of unexpected race results. In the opinion of Pirelli's motorsport director, Paul Hembery, this is due to testing with an old car.

Speaking to Brazilian publication Total Race, Hembery explained: “The same tyres behave very different when using a car from 2010. The aerodynamic balance of the car is very different and that acts on the tyres. This year the teams have suffered problems, especially with the front tyres, but there has also been overheating with the rears. We did not encounter these problems when testing because the car is two years old, but that is the only car we can use. It was a huge challenge to get hold of that car. I would obviously prefer one of the current test cars, but that is not going to happen. Teams need about 18 months to fully develop a car, so even using one from last year is not possible. Developing the different compounds needs to be very precise and it is very difficult to get everything right when we are not testing with a suitable car.”

In 2011 Pirelli became the sole Formula 1 tyre supplier, after Japanese tyre supplier Bridgestone had decided to leave the sport. Bridgestone had been involved in a tyre war between 2001 and 2006 with French tyre manufacturer Michelin, a format Pirelli does not favor.