The Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack in Imola, after the intense race weekend, hosted the first appointments scheduled for testing the 2023 Pirelli tyres. Four of the ten teams got to work on Tuesday and Wednesday (April 26 and 27) to collect data on the prototype tyres, also 18″, which will take over in 2023.
The Italian tire supplier has set aside 18 days of testing for F1 teams to test the new tires in order to gather data. The rules allow for 25 days in total, including wet track testing.
This year, unlike in the past, the Pirelli tests will take place with the cars of the current championship, given the transition to ground effect aerodynamics and the 18-inch rims that made their debut this season.
On Tuesday, three teams lapped their respective 2022 single-seaters: AlphaTauri, with Pierre Gasly (121 laps), completed between morning and afternoon; Alfa Romeo with Guanyu Zhou (120 laps) and Alpine with Esteban Ocon, the driver who completed the most laps (123 laps).
Ferrari made its return to the track on the second day, largely absent from the podium at Imola due to the errors and accidents that characterized the most difficult weekend for the Maranello team since the debut of the F1-75 in Bahrain. Both drivers did a practice session starting the day with Charles Leclerc (63 laps) and Carlos Sainz in the afternoon (53 laps), for a total of 116 laps covered in front of the fans who flocked to the track in these two too test days.
The other two teams that lapped on Wednesday are once again: AlphaTauri, this time with the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda (103 laps); and Alfa Romeo, on the track with Robert Kubica aboard the C42. The Polish driver racked up a total of 100 laps.
Given the large amount of commitments, and logistical obstacles associated with the many back-to-back trips, the calendar of the Pirelli program dedicated to the 2023 tires is rather tight. The next appointment is scheduled for June 24th at Mugello, where Ferrari will take to the track again, while in July in Austria we will see McLaren and Williams in action for both days. Alpine and Red Bull will also be in Austria for one day (Red Bull will take advantage of the other day at Monza in September), while Aston Martin and Mercedes will be in August at the Hungaroring in Hungary. Haas, on the other hand, will not take part in the tests.
Pirelli tire test dates
April 26, Imola: AlphaTauri , Alfa Romeo , Alpine
April 27, Imola: AlphaTauri , Alfa Romeo, Ferrari
24 June, Mugello: Ferrari
July 12, Red Bull Ring: McLaren, Williams, Red Bull
July 13, Red Bull Ring: McLaren, Williams, Alpine
August 2, Hungaroring: Mercedes, Aston Martin
August 3, Hungaroring: Mercedes, Aston Martin
13 September, Monza: Red Bull
Source: Motorsport.com
