Pirelli completes F1 test

ERJ staff report (RD)

Milan -- Pirelli has announced the successful completion of a two-day test by its newly appointed test driver Nick Heidfeld.

Driving a Toyota TF109, Heidfeld sampled prototype versions of Pirelli's P Zero Formula One tyre, which will be used by all F1 teams from 2011 under a three-year agreement with the FIA, a 19 Aug Pirelli statement said.

The test, held at the Mugello circuit in Italy, was designed to begin the process of determining the front and rear tyre profile and construction that will be used as the basis of the new tyre.

Pirelli's motorsport director, Paul Hembery, explained: “This was the first step of our return to Formula One and we are very satisfied with how the tires performed and the information we were able to collect. We concentrated on finalising the profile and the construction of the front and rear tyres, which is a process that we will continue over the next few tests that we carry out.” ??

“Mugello has quite an abrasive surface with long and medium-high-speed corners as well as hairpins and quick changes of direction so it is quite a good proving ground. We are on target and we come away from this test with lots of data to analyze, which is exactly the situation we hoped to be in,” Hembery added.