Pirelli requests Formula 1 tire test in Bahrain in December

ERJ staff report (TP)

Milan, Italy − Pirelli has written to Formula 1 teams to ask if any of them will be willing to supply a car for a winter test in Bahrain, reported Jonathan Noble for Autosport.

Amid concerns from F1's tire supplier that it will not have enough track running time ahead of the first pre-season test at Jerez next January, it now wants help with a test in Bahrain next month.

Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery confirmed that a request had now gone out, and he was optimistic there would be enough support for the test to take place.

"We have been running a Lotus [the 2010 car] this year, and we have done 1000km tests with a number of teams - so we are trying to find a 2011 car for Bahrain," he said. "We want to make a tender to see who can do it."

Although the ideal scenario for Pirelli would be to use a 2013 car for testing, Hembery has admitted that doing so would be complicated because of regulations and resistance from the competitors.

"That is a step too far," he said. "It is difficult because you are wrapped up in the very rigid regulations of the sport.

"Some teams have said that we should even use this year's tires again, but that is not a point we like as we don't think it is remotely satisfactory after the year we have had."

Although Pirelli has experienced frustrations this season over its inability to do proper testing, Hembery said that there seemed to be more progress on the matter as the sport heads to major regulation changes for 2014.

"There has been some good dialogue and good suggestions - and hopefully we can have a positive outcome of some of the things we have been asked to do."

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