Pirelli contemplating set tyre choices in early 2017 races

Pirelli is contemplating picking Formula One teams’ tyre allocations for the opening rounds of the 2017 season amid sweeping regulation changes and tight deadlines.

Teams currently pick from three different tyre compounds, with an allocation of 13 sets per driver. Of those 13 sets, Pirelli selects two sets that have to be allocated for the race (of which a driver must use one set), while a set of the softest available compound may only be used in Q3.

Teams are then free to choose the remaining ten sets. What’s more, teams have to choose their compounds for flyaway races, four or five of which traditionally kick off the F1 season, 14 weeks in advance.

And with Pirelli set to introduce very different tyres late this year to accompany radical bodywork changes, the Italian firm feels it would be easier to give all teams the same allocations initially.

“The plan is to keep the same regulations [in 2017],” Pirelli racing manager Mario Isola said ahead of the British Grand Prix. “In my opinion the regulations are working, so we have no reason to change it, but we need to find a solution at least for the first three or four races.

“Of course we are discussing with the teams how we can implement this at the beginning of the year, because they will have a complete new product, complete new compounds, so it's difficult to select the compounds 14 weeks in advance for the first races.

“If they decide for example to have a fixed allocation at the beginning of the year, we can start producing. The plan is to finish the development of the 2017 product at the end of November.”

Next season will see wider tyres introduced, with the dimensions increasing from 245mm to 305mm at the front and from 325mm to 405mm at the rear. Pirelli has confirmed testing of the 2017-size tyres will start on Monday August 1.

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