Having run its Formula One PZero tyre for the first time in Italy last month, Pirelli’s eagerly-anticipated Formula One test campaign continued this week at the Le Castellet circuit in the south of France, again with Nick Heidfeld at the wheel of the Toyota TF109 fitted with Pirelli’s latest Formula One tyres.

The Italian firm won the tender to supply tyres exclusively to the FIA Formula One World Championship from 2011-2013 earlier this year, and since then a concentrated campaign of research and development has been ongoing to prepare for Pirelli’s first Formula One season in 20 years.

With the initial shakedown work at Mugello from August 17-18 proving to be extremely successful, Pirelli continued its development programme at Paul Ricard for two days, working on both constructions and compounds as per the planned schedule.

At the same time, Italian driver Giorgio Pantano continued to test Pirelli’s GP2 tyres, which will also make their debut next season as part of a three-year tyre supply agreement that takes in the entry-level GP3 series as well.

Temperatures in the south of France remained warm throughout both test days, with an average ambient temperature of 24 degrees Centigrade and average track temperature of 28 degrees Centigrade.

The Le Castellet circuit, which has recently been developed into a high-tech test facility, can be driven in a number of different configurations. Pirelli’s test team made full use of the circuit to run a high-speed configuration, enabling the engineers to assess the performance of the tyres under extreme loading as well as through slower and more technical sections.

Throughout both days of the test, the car and the tyres performed perfectly. The performance of the new rubber, as well as its consistency and reliability, fully matched Pirelli’s expectations – as motorsport director Paul Hembery explained.

“We’re very happy with the progress we’ve made so far, which actually puts us slightly ahead of where we expected to be at this point in time,” pointed out Hembery. “We worked through an initial development programme that has given us a useful insight into the performance of our prototype tyres under a wide range of conditions, corners and speeds. We’ve been hugely encouraged by what we’ve seen up to now, and that’s been helped by both Nick’s clear and precise feedback, as well as all the different possibilities afforded to us by the Paul Ricard circuit.”

Pirelli’s test programme will continue in Spain in two weeks’ time. In the meantime, the company will take to the track at Monza for the finale of this year’s GP3 Series from September 11-12, which is exclusively supplied by Pirelli in its inaugural season.

Pirelli took the first step of its return to the FIA Formula One World Championship when Nick Heidfeld completed a two-day test at the wheel of a Toyota TF109 yesterday (Wednesday August 18).

Heidfeld, Pirelli’s newly-appointed Formula One test driver, sampled prototype versions of Pirelli’s PZero Formula One tyre, which will be used by all Formula One teams from 2011 onwards under a three-year agreement with the FIA, world motorsport’s governing body.

The objective of the test, which was held in largely dry and sunny conditions at the Mugello circuit in Italy, was to begin the process of determining the front and rear tyre profile and construction that will be used as the basis of the new Pirelli PZero Formula One tyre.

Pirelli’s Motorsport Director, Paul Hembery, explained: “This was the first step of our return to Formula One and we are very satisfied with how the tyres performed and the information we were able to collect. We concentrated on finalising the profile and the construction of the front and rear tyres, which is a process that we will continue over the next few tests that we carry out.

“Mugello has quite an abrasive surface with long and medium-high-speed corners as well as hairpins and quick changes of direction so it is quite a good proving ground. We are on target and we come away from this test with lots of data to analyse, which is exactly the situation we hoped to be in.”

Pirelli’s testing programme began less than two months since its agreement as the sole tyre supplier to the Formula One World Championship was finalised, a feat Hembery was quick to acknowledge.

“A lot of people have made a big commitment to get to where we are today in a very short period of time and the effort really has been incredible,” said Hembery. “The Toyota team has also been very professional and provided a good, reliable car and we are all very happy to begin our relationship with Nick Heidfeld who gave us a lot of good feedback and suggestions.”

Pirelli will continue its Formula One tyre development programme later this month.

Pirelli has begun its first Formula One tyre development test with German driver Nick Heidfeld, who is to be Pirelli’s official test driver as the Italian firm prepares for its return to Formula One for the first time in 20 years.

Heidfeld will use Toyota’s Formula One car from last year, the TF109, to test the new rubber that all the teams will use from 2011 onwards.

The 33-year-old raced in Formula One right up to the end of last year, having spent 10 seasons in the sport during which he started over 150 races. Throughout his career he scored 219 points, including 12 podiums, and he is currently chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association.

The Toyota TF109 was the last Formula One car produced by the Japanese manufacturer before it withdrew at the end of 2009 after scoring five podium finishes in its final season. As such the Toyota provides contemporary technology and performance with which to test the new Pirelli PZero Formula One tyres to the limit, but does not hand an advantage to any current team.

Heidfeld will drive the car in a series of test sessions on several different circuits from August onwards. The tyre development work will focus on finding the delicate compromise needed between performance, durability and spectacle next season.

Pirelli’s development testing is getting underway less than two months since Pirelli concluded a three-year agreement with the FIA, world motorsport’s governing body, as the sole tyre supplier to the Formula One World Championship. In addition to this, Pirelli will also supply GP2 and GP3.

Following Heidfeld’s on-track work with the Toyota, all the current Formula One teams will get the chance to test the new tyres after the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November.

Pirelli’s new tyres will be carefully designed to cater not only for the needs of the teams, ensuring a stable and consistent product, but also for the wishes of the fans to see exciting and close racing.

Consequently, Heidfeld’s role will be vital as Pirelli fine-tunes the specification of the four compounds, two of which will be used in each race next year, as per the current regulations. Heidfeld’s consistency is a crucial asset in this task: the German holds the record for the highest number of consecutive race classifications (41) and he also managed to finish every race during the 2008 season.

Pirelli’s Motorsport Director Paul Hembery commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Nick into the Pirelli family, and we’re confident that he’ll do a great job for us. The role of test driver is a crucial one, so we were looking for a driver who had plenty of recent Formula One experience, the speed to push our new tyres as hard as possible, and the consistency to provide reliable simulations, as well as the analytical skills to relay information accurately to our engineers. Nick fits the bill in every respect and we’re very pleased to have secured his services and obviously thankful to MERCEDES GP PETRONAS for agreeing to release Nick from his contract. As for the car, we have a policy of complete impartiality, so we did not want to favour any existing team. The Toyota was the perfect solution, as it is a contemporary racing machine with proven speed and reliability but without links to any of the manufacturers currently competing in Formula One. I’m confident that we have an extremely good package that will give us every opportunity to maximise the potential of our tyres prior to the start of next season.”

Heidfeld added: “It’s a great privilege for me to join Pirelli in order to carry out this vital work and I am very grateful to MERCEDES GP PETRONAS for releasing me from my contract to take on this role. Through the experience I have built up over the years, I’m confident that I will be able to provide Pirelli with some important feedback regarding the development of next year’s tyres. I’ve got a lot to give but I haven’t been driving so much this year, so it is good to get started! Together, I’m sure that we can create a dynamic range of tyres that will make Formula One an even more exciting sport in the future.”