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Pirelli raked up the miles with first 18-inch tyre test

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Pirelli successfully completed on Friday the first test of its 2021 18-inch tyres at Paul Ricard, with Renault reserve driver Sergey Sirotkin racking up the miles during the two-day programme.

Overall, Sirotkin completed 213 trouble-free laps on board a mule car supplied by Renault and shod with F1's future low profile tyres.

"This was very useful for us to take a first look at the new generation of tyres and start shaping the development path that we will follow for the remainder of this year and next year," said Pirelli F1 boss Mario Isola.

"Of course, it is hard to read too much into this test as these are still very early days, but we have accumulated all the preliminary data that we wanted in good weather conditions, so thank you very much to Renault and to Sergey for their availability."

Additional tests of the 2021-spec tyres are scheduled in October and December, respectively with McLaren and Mercedes.

Sirotkin shared the track at Paul Ricard with Mercedes reserve driver Esteban Ocon who was tasked with putting a final batch of 2020 tyres through their paces.

"With the 13-inch 2020 tyres, we covered 212 laps over the two days thanks to Esteban Ocon and Mercedes," added Isola.

"The work consisted of assessing a range of prototype slick tyres, as we begin to finalise next year's specification: the last season of 13-inch tyres before we move on to 18 inches in 2021."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

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