Pirelli changes tire markings for Malaysia

New to the discipline, the Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli has decided to change the marking of its tires for the second round of the championship, which will take place this weekend in Malaysia.

After the Melbourne race, many observers had complained about the lack of clarity in the system proposed by Pirelli to differentiate between the different compounds offered to the teams.

The problem should be resolved for the Malaysian Grand Prix since the soft tires now have a silver line on the edge of the tire, with Pirelli copying the system used by Bridgestone in 2009 and 2010.

If this line should, logically, allow spectators in the stands and viewers in front of their TV to better differentiate who is on softs and who is on hards, this solution is only temporary. « We received a lot of feedback saying that people couldn’t recognize the tires, but the line is not an ideal solution, » explains Paul Hembery, director of competition at Pirelli.

Another option has already been tested by the Italian manufacturer on the Istanbul circuit where Pirelli was testing new compounds. It is indeed in Turkey that the new system will be introduced for the first time in a race.

« For Turkey, we will have more colors on the side of the tire, which means that when it rotates, black will no longer dominate. According to the tests we conducted, it seems to work well, » adds Hembery.