Renault, Pirelli conclude 18-inch tyre test: 'It will change the face of F1'

Pirelli believe 18 inch tyres will "change the face of Formula 1" having concluded a test of the new wheels alongside Renault.

Sergey Sirotkin drove on the new tyres, to be introduced in 2021, in a two-day test at Circuit Paul Ricard as plans for Liberty Media's regulation revamp ramp up.

The new tyres will be used in Formula 2 next year, with Pirelli hoping to gather as much data as possible before they debut in 2021 in F1.

Pirelli chief Mario Isola said: "We were delighted to open up a brand new chapter at Paul Ricard, with the debut for our 18-inch tyres – which will change the face of Formula 1 – taking place alongside our latest development test for next year's 13-inch tyres.

"Renault provided a 2018 mule car for the 18-inch test, with Sergey Sirotkin driving to mark this historic moment. We completed our planned programme as expected, covering 213 laps with the 18-inch tyres over two days.

"This was very useful for us to take a first look at the new generation of tyres and start shaping the development path that we will follow for the remainder of this year and next year.

"Of course, it is hard to read too much into this test as these are still very early days, but we have accumulated all the preliminary data that we wanted in good weather conditions, so thank you very much to Renault and to Sergey for their availability."

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