Pirelli wants to learn lessons after the Mercedes testing incident
Now that justice has been served, the Italian manufacturer believes it is necessary to return to the origins of the controversy and advocates for Pirelli to conduct more significant tests in order to offer the best possible tires.

Reprimanded by the FIA International Tribunal, Pirelli is pleased that justice has been served in the Barcelona testing case: “The first thing to say is that Mr. Glasgow conducted the hearing in a very fair and independent manner. This was very, very important for everyone to know because it was the first time this new body was used,” analyzes Paul Hembery, Pirelli’s motorsport director, to Sky Sports News. “In terms of results, it was good to hear that it was recognized that both we and Mercedes acted in good faith based on information we had received from the FIA. The costs [of the procedure] were obviously shared between the three parties and hopefully, this means we can start focusing again on the sporting aspect.”
Paul Hembery believes, however, that lessons must be learned from this case and is more than ever advocating for Pirelli to have the necessary resources for the development of its tires: “Obviously, it does not change the need to be able to test under significant conditions with significant cars. We continue to use outdated cars, or even museum pieces, to try to do our job, so there is still a lot to do to enable us to conduct what we call meaningful tests.”
The Briton thus returns to the origins of the controversy that ignited the paddock after the tests conducted jointly with Mercedes: « We all need to take note of what happened and the reasons behind it to try to do the best job possible. That means all of us: the teams, ourselves as the official supplier of the discipline, as well as the FIA. Therefore, we need to learn some lessons, but, as I said, the real issue for us is that we want to find a way to conduct meaningful tests. »
The Briton is therefore pleased with the announced return of private testing during the season starting next year: « We have experienced delamination issues – 13 this season out of 9,500 tires used, which is far too much and not good for us. So we’ve worked on that and we believe that at Silverstone we will now have a solution that allows us to keep the current products. But we need to conduct proper tests and maybe we are starting to see light at the end of the tunnel because there are discussions to organize tests next season by staying after four races. Maybe we will find a way to use it, maybe if we have some time to run a second car, it could be a way to conduct meaningful tests. »
And to add: « We need the right cars and the best drivers. We must be able to push the tires to their extreme limit because it allows us to understand where we stand. By driving as we do with the 2010 Renault, you start the season with cars whose developments you don’t even know, nor what gains they’ve made in terms of performance. It’s really very difficult for us, so if we can get as close as we can to the current cars, it will greatly ease our lives and ensure we do a better job. »