Pirelli have unveiled the first 2017-specification Formula 1 tyres on a show car at Monaco on Saturday.
Testing with the current size tyres but with 2017-spec compounds will continue through to August before switching to the 2017-sized tyres, with a total of 25 days being allocated using 2012, 2013 and 2014-spec cars and prototype tyres in order to ready themselves for their race debut next season.
The front tyre will increase in width from 245mm to 305mm, while the rear tyre will go from 325mm to 405mm, and will apply to slicks, intermediate and full wet compounds.
The objective for the wider tyres is to reduce lap times, between four and five seconds per lap has been mentioned, and bring more excitement to the racing, with the tyres much more like those seen in the 1990’s when tyres were much wider than at present.
The Scuderia Ferrari, Red Bull Racing and Mercedes AMG PETRONAS teams have already been confirmed as the first ones to test the wider 2017-spec tyres on modified 2015 cars.
Video courtesy of Pirelli.
