F1 News

Mario Isola reveals reason why F1 teams rejected new tyres

Mario Isola reveals reason why F1 teams rejected new tyres

11-01-2020 09:07

Pirelli's head of F1 and car racing Mario Isola says that the ten F1 teams rejected the new proposed tyres because of the development costs that would've been caused by the change. Teams tested the new rubber at the back end of last season but voted against the change, instead keeping the 2019 tyres for 2020.

Tyres are one of the most talked about things in F1, with different rubber making a huge difference to the performance of a car.

Ultimately, the different profile of the 2020 tyres put off the teams, with the development needed a factor in the rejection.

Isola told RaceFans.net“Before taking the decision we had a lot of discussion with the teams. Obviously that decision came quite late, considering that we had the additional development and then the final validation in Abu Dhabi.

“It is clear the new product has a different profile and this affects the aerodynamics of the car. And with cars that are almost – I would say 95% – finalised, the teams are not very happy to modify the car again or to put additional resources on developing the 2020 car."