05/12/2013
NEWS STORY
Mat Coch writes:
The FIA has ruled that teams will be permitted to use their 2013 cars at a tyre test in Bahrain later this month.
Organised by Pirelli, it was originally planned that teams would use their 2011 cars however, the World Motor Sport Council yesterday confirmed that teams will be able to use their 2013 machines.
It is also understood that all teams have been invited to the 3-day test in Bahrain, where previously only Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes were invited, while Lotus declined citing financial reasons.
Intended to test Pirelli’s 2014 rubber the revised terms of the test have been well received by the teams following the rained-out Brazilian Grand Prix weekend. Teams had been given prototype 2014-spec tyres at Interlagos, though persistent rain throughout the weekend meant teams were unable to sample the new rubber.
The WMSC decision is also good news for Pirelli, which has long rallied for testing with representative machinery, claiming older-spec cars fail to produce the loads required to gather accurate data.
The test runs between December 17th and the 19th.