Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli has called for the resurfacing of the Jerez Circuit in Southern Spain. With new much wider tyres and new aerodynamic regulations being introduced in Formula 1 in 2017 winter pre-season testing has taken on a new importance, but venues for those tests are proving somewhat scarce.



Jerez which last held a Formula 1 test session in 2015 had become the regular location for the crucial first pre-season tests has undergone a number of resurfacing attempts over the years with the full circuit covered in 2005, and adjustments made again in 2007/2008, but by 2015 the surface was found to be far too rough and abrasive.

"Jerez is a very good circuit in many ways but the surface roughness is off the scale,” Mario Isola Motorsport Racing Manager at Pirelli reveals. “To give you an idea, the last time we went there we measured the surface roughness it was twice as rough as any other F1 circuit. The track layout and location is very good for F1 testing because of the weather but they should resurface it.”



The opening test of the 2017 pre season will be the first time that Pirelli will be able to run its new tyres on a car built to the new regulations. Current testing on the wider rubber has been done using older cars which have been specially modified which Pirelli and the Italian brand is keen to have more testing in 2017 and not all of it at Barcelona.

"The pre-season testing in 2017 is very important for us and it needs to be in representative conditions on representative tracks. Eight days of running as we had in 2016 to be honest is not enough,” Isola contests. “We have a long season with 21 different circuits, so doing all of the testing at the same circuit is not the best solution for us, ideally you should have a couple of circuits with different characteristics.”



The problem faced by Pirelli and Formula 1 is that most European circuits suffer from inclement weather conditions during the first three months of the year while teams are not thought to be keen on testing outside of Europe early in the year, not only for reasons of costs but also logistics, as it takes much longer to get parts to Bahrain or Abu Dhabi than it does to get them to Spain.



"It has become very difficult to find a circuit for testing in Europe because of the weather, Le Castellet (Paul Ricard) for example seems an obvious place to run but sometimes in January and February you can get snow there. Barcelona is a good track for testing but sometimes in February the conditions are not ideal and the temperature there is nothing like it would be during the race there in May,” Isola adds. “The other alternative to Barcelona for testing is the Middle East: Bahrain is a good track, Abu Dhabi is good for testing the soft tyre too.”



No plans for a resurfacing of Jerez have been announced, and with the economic situation in the surrounding area remaining bleak such work seems unlikely. Formula 1's pre season test dates and venues have yet to be revealed but Barcelona seems certain to host at least two tests.

You might also be interested in:

Share this page