2015 Abu Dhabi - Test

MORE THAN 6,020 KMS DRIVEN OVER 1084 LAPS, TESTING DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE NEW ULTRASOFT COMPOUND AND NEW CONSTRUCTIONS FOR BOTH FRONT AND REAR SLICK TYRES

McLAREN’S DRIVER STOFFEL VANDOORNE SETS BEST TIME AT THE END OF THE 12-HOUR SESSION RUN NON-STOP

NEXT TYRE TESTING SESSION ON SCHEDULE: PAUL RICARD, JANUARY 25-26, FOCUSING ON WET TYRES

Abu Dhabi, December 1, 2015 – McLaren’s driver Stoffel Vandoorne set fastest time today at the end of the 12-hour tyre test organised by Pirelli on the smooth surface of the Yas Marina circuit. The session took place non-stop throughout the day, with the expected bright sun and warm temperatures starting out at around 24°C ambient (35°C asphalt) and reaching 28° and 40° respectively by lunchtime.

All 2015 Teams took part with the following drivers: Mercedes Pascal Wehrlein Ferrari Sebastian Vettel Kimi Raikkonen Williams Valtteri Bottas Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo Daniil Kvyat Force India Alfonso Celis Jr Niko Hulkenberg Lotus Jolyon Palmer Toro Rosso Carlos Sainz Jr Max Verstappen Sauber Adderly Fong Marcus Ericsson McLaren Stoffel Vandoorne Manor Rio Haryanto Jordan King

The session started with all the drivers running some laps on base tyre to confirm the set-up of the cars and using P Zero Red supersoft and P Zero Yellow soft tyres: the nominated choice for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last weekend.

Testing with the prototype tyres (new ultrasoft compound and new constructions both front and rear) started around one and a half hours into the session. The Teams tested several different potential variations of the new ultrasoft compound, from which one will eventually be selected. Prototype tyres were not marked with any colours or other visible markings, while base tyres carried the usual colours on sidewalls.

The test was ‘blind’: neither the drivers nor the Teams knew which kind of tyre specification they were testing. During the test, the teams were not allowed to try new parts or change any other components, keeping the focus on the tyres. With its smooth surface, consistent temperatures, and wide variety of technical corners, Abu Dhabi was a perfect venue in which to assess most key aspects of tyre behaviour.

The session started at 9am local time and went on till nearly 9pm with no lunch break. This made it the longest single-day Formula One group test in the sport’s history.

Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director: “We had one shot when it came to testing tyres for next season, and we can be satisfied by what we’ve achieved in this test, even if we have to fully analyze the data. We’ve tested different versions of the new ultrasoft compound for 2016, which was one of the targets for this session. The ultrasoft’s target for 2016 is to introduce a compound softer than the supersoft and mainly designed as agressive choice for street circuits: with better performance than the latest version of the supersoft tyre and faster degradation, in order to allow the Teams to take a more aggressive approach to race strategy.

Whether this will produce more pit stops, or any difference in strategies, it’s too early to say for now. We will fully analyse our data and team telemetry once we get back to base. But it seems we are heading in the right direction: the ultrasoft is expected to offer more possibilities for certain races.

We also tested some different constructions for both front and rear tyres.

Fastest times of the day: Driver Team Time Laps Vandoorne McLaren 1m44.103s 99 Raikkonen Ferrari 1m44.456s 56 Ericsson Sauber 1m44.480s 50 J. Palmer Lotus 1m44.568s 90 Vettel Ferrari 1m44.940s 56 Wehrlein Mercedes 1m45.605s 107 Ricciardo Red Bull 1m45.805s 57 Verstappen Toro Rosso 1m45.849s 54 Hulkenberg Force India 1m45.852s 71 Bottas Williams 1m45.940s 103 Kvyat Red Bull 1m46.309s 48 Sainz Jr. Toro Rosso 1m46.995s 56 Fong Sauber 1m48.439s 57 Celis Jr Force India 1m48.545s 65 Haryanto Manor 1m49.593s 56 King Manor 1m49.661s 59

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