Pirelli have unveiled significantly larger concept tyres in a bid to showcase the way that Formula One could look in the near future.
The tyres will be fitted to 18-inch rims rather than the 13-inch models currently used in Formula 1 and will be tested on a 2014 Lotus at Silverstone tomorrow.
Pirelli also believes that testing larger tyres would make the sport more relevant to ordinary road users.
“Larger wheel and tyre sizes reflect modern market trends with the adoption of a larger size invariably leading to even greater technology transfer between Formula One tires and road car tyres,” the company said in a statement.
However, Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembrey stressed that the tyres were intended only for the purposes of demonstration with larger models unlikely to feature in any race before 2017.
He also added that, should larger tyres be introduced to the sport, they would likely be fitted to 19 or 20 inch rims in order to differentiate Formula 1 from other series such as Formula E and the World Endurance Championship.
Mr. Hembrey said: “While 18-inch tyres would be a big step for Formula One, there are many other motorsport series that already use this size.”
“Probably going forward, 19 or 20 [inch] would even be the direction that you would want to go because then you create a unique product.”
