F1 could be in for a very close year of competition.

That is the view of Mario Isola, the F1 boss for sole tyre supplier Pirelli.

He admitted to Spain’s AS newspaper that he has a close eye on the weather forecast ahead of the start of official winter testing in Barcelona.

“With the new regulations we have completely redesigned the tyres,” he said. “The objective was to reduce the overheating and the blistering.”

As for the expected pecking order, Isola admits that Mercedes and Ferrari are once again the favourites.

“Red Bull will also be close, because the regulation change is not so great,” he said. “And I would not be surprised to see Renault competitive, as they are investing a lot.”