(Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team)
The two day post Formula One season test concluded on Wednesday with Pirelli debuting the 2015 rubber. On Tuesday Valtteri Bottas used a 2015 Soft tyre compound and finished the day time of the time-sheets for the Williams Martini Racing Team. The Finn set a fastest time of 1m 43.396s, McLaren Honda's Stoffel Vandoorne also ran the new 2015 Pirelli tyre.
On Wednesday Ferrari's Raffaele Marciello ran the new 2015 Pirelli new Super Soft tyre, The Italian finished the day in second place on the time-sheets. On his final day for the Williams Martini Racing Team before he moves to the Sauber F1 Team Felipe Nasr ran a brand new set of the 2015 Pirelli Soft tyre and finished the day in eighth place setting a time of 1m 45.937s.
McLaren Honda's Stoffel Vandoorne once again ran the 2015 Pirelli tyre however he ran the Super Soft tyre,
Over the course of the two day test a total of 1,557 laps were completed on Pirelli rubber with the 2015 Pirelli tyre covered 259 laps of the Yas Marina circuit, Pirelli did run a dedicated day of tyre testing as they have done in previous test events. Speaking following the end of season test Pirelli Motorsport Director Paul Hembery stated:
'We’ve been very pleased to hear the initial impressions from the drivers of our new tyres, which suggest that the improvements we have aimed for are already taking effect. We’ve made a few small alterations: in particular to the belt area of the rear tyre that sits in the footprint.
This new construction optimises the temperature distribution through the tyre in order to distribute heat more evenly, which should lead to more consistent performance and better traction. We’ve also got a new supersoft compound on the rear, which is designed to improve mechanical resistance.
Our objectives with the 2015 tyres remain the same as they have always been: to provide between two and three pit stops per race. One of the biggest factors of course will be the way that the cars improve: we’re expecting to see cars that are a second per lap or more faster than the 2014 cars next year, and this obviously will impact on tyre behaviour.'
© Ben Johnston 2014
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