Pirelli Motorsport’s Mario Isola believes the 2019 tyres are ready as Formula 1 prepares for the opening round of the season this weekend at the Australian Grand Prix.
This season sees they tyres called hard, medium and soft at every race to make it easier for fans despite there being five different compounds like last year and Isola believes the choices for Albert Park will allow drivers to push hard in the opening race.
“Our C2, C3, and C4 hard, medium and soft nominations this year are roughly equivalent to the 2018 medium, soft and ultrasoft compounds.
“This should allow drivers to push hard from the start to the finish of each stint.”
Isola feels the tyre manufacture will know exactly where they are with their tyres in 2019 after Free Practice 1 but was pleased with the results from testing at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona.
“After a very productive test in Barcelona, we feel satisfied that the 2019 tyre range is on course to meet our objectives of combining performance with durability.
“Of course, there are still a number of aspects – such as degradation over the length of a stint – that will only be revealed after free practice in Australia.
“One other important consideration in Australia will be seeing how the new aero rules work, and if this leads to more overtaking – which is difficult to establish during testing.”