Lotus F1 Team trials 18-inch tyres

At the Formula 1 in-season testing held at Silverstone overnight Lotus ran part of the day on 18-inch wheels and tyres, instead of the usual 13-inch setup. The test was done purely to judge the aesthetics of the larger wheel setup. Although, of course, with such a reduction in sidewall height there will be handling changes too.

Charles Pic was at the wheel of the Lotus E22 and completed 14 fairly sedate laps. His official comments can be read below, but of more value is the feedback he gave to Autosport.

“If we go with this type of tyre one day, it will be a big challenge,” Pic said. “For the teams, because they will have to build a completely new car around it because the philosophy is completely different, and also for the drivers because they are completely different.

“The overall grip was very low, I think it was five or six seconds off the pace, mainly for the reason that the rest of the car was made for the normal tyre, not the prototype.

“It is true that they are more reactive and nervous, and then on top of that you lose a lot of aero.”

Pirelli’s current contract runs out at the end of the 2016 season, so 2017 would be the most likely year the larger wheels would be introduced. Although, Paul Hembery, Pirelli’s motorsport boss, says with enough notice they could be brought in for 2016 and that he has a preference for 19 or 20-inch tyres.

“The regulations are talking about 2017 at the moment but we feel ready for 2016 if they wanted to bring it forward a year,” said Hembery. “The priority today was to show people what a current F1 car would look like with a change in rim.

“We said many years ago that the larger diameter rims were something we would always go along with, but we have also said we will do what the sport wants and that is the over-riding factor.

“It is about aesthetics. Does it make F1 more relevant for road cars and is it a direction the sport wants to take? The 18-inch tyre is one solution, but going forward I think 19-inch or 20-inch tyres are the direction you want to go.”

What do you think of the look of an F1 car running 18-inch wheels? Would 19s or 20s look better or worse?

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[Pics: Lotus F1 Team]

Lotus F1 Team – Silverstone Test, Day Two

Wednesday 9th July 2014

Charles Pic debuted Pirelli’s concept 18 inch tyres today at Silverstone, enjoying a split programme of running on the 18 inch tyres in the morning and the familiar 13 inch tyres in the afternoon. The team followed a programme set by Pirelli for today’s evaluations over the course of 38 laps.

Fast Facts:

Track: Silverstone, England, 5.9km
Chassis: E22-02
Weather: Dry, air 18-25°C, track 19-30°C
Programme: Aero logging and evaluation.
Laps Completed: 38
Classification: P10, 1:41.906
Interruptions: Various red flags, precautionary gearbox change.

What’s Next?
The team will be next in action for the German Grand Prix on July 18-20.

Charles Pic: “It was special to be the first person to try the new Pirelli 18 inch tyres. It was a very early evaluation test and the different tyres and wheels affect the aerodynamics of the car quite a lot, but you could certainly feel that the tyres felt different to those we’re used to on an F1 car. It was interesting for me to be part of this very first run to see how they handled and give initial feedback to Pirelli. This afternoon we went back to the 13 inch tyres working on tyre construction evaluations with high fuel. It was good to be back in the E22 for a good day of testing.”

Nick Chester, Technical Director: “Charles did a fine job working through Pirelli’s test programme today, including the excitement of running with Pirelli’s 18 inch tyre concept. The objective of this was to give Pirelli some initial loading information as well as for F1 fans and stakeholders to see what the car looked like in this configuration. In the afternoon we reverted to 13 inch tyres working on a construction evaluation for Pirelli. It has been interesting to hear all the feedback about the different tyre concept and it’s an area we’re happy to work on for the future.”