Leading global tyre manufacturer and F1 tyre partner, Pirelli, has concerns regarding whether a full 18-inch Formula 1 tyre test programme could be conducted for next season in preparation for the 2022 regulations.
Pirelli has conducted 25 days of Slick and wet running sessions by 10 teams scheduled this year. However, after just one run with the Ferrari at Jerez in the month of February, the whole programme was but on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. It was during this period the change of rules was postponed from 2021 to 2022.
The original schedule included visits to Fiorano, Bahrain, Barcelona, Red Bull Ring, Silverstone, Suzuka and Paul Ricard, and included five days of wet running at the French GP venue.
The 18-inch testing will now have to be scheduled for the year 2021, and then the 2022 tyres will have to be ready for a final validation test after the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
However, the race schedule can change due to the uncertainty brought by the pandemic. Pirelli's F1 tyre chief- Mario Isola knows that the company is having a difficult time due to the changing schedules.
"It will be very difficult to fit the 25 days of testing in next year's calendar," he said.
"We know for sure that we are going to start the season with COVID restrictions still in place. As soon as there is a draft of the calendar, we will try to put some days in it.
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"One option for example is to try and use as much as possible the Tuesday and Wednesday after events, so staying on the same track. This minimises the movement of the teams.
"We have to consider that quarantine will still be in place, moving from one country to another, this kind of stuff.
"We will try to do a clever and flexible plan for testing, but it is clear that without testing, we cannot introduce the 18-inch tyres, so we have to find a solution.
"It's not easy, but we will do our best. Together with the teams we will try to introduce a calendar for these criteria."
Another problem facing Pirelli is that only Paul Ricard is properly equipped for wet tyre running.
"For wet testing it's difficult or impossible to test on the same circuits," said Isola.
"Other than Paul Ricard, which is the only circuit with sprinklers, or in Fiorano, but in Fiorano we don't have a Grand Prix. So for wet testing we have to make a plan that is not linked to one event."
Racing Point technical director Andrew Green agreed that Pirelli and the teams face a difficult challenge.
"We don't really know how next season is going to pan out yet," he said.
"But I can see unless we clear this pandemic quite quickly in the early part of next year, then 18-inch testing is going to become really difficult.
"I'm sure we will do something, but it's probably not going to be the testing schedule that we'd all like."
