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Formula One
F1: Hembery Pleased With Pirelli Progress In Jerez
Fernando Alonso turned fast lap at Jerez during the test session...
Adam Cooper  | http://www.speedtv.com  |  Posted February 10, 2012   Jerez (ESP)
Fernando Alonso tests at Circuito de Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, February 10th 2012. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Pirelli motor sport boss Paul Hembery says the company is satisfied with how its 2012 tires performed this week in Jerez.

The company’s intention was to close the performance gap between its compounds in an attempt to make strategy choices less clear cut, thus making races more interesting.

Pirelli says that has worked out well, with a gap of 0.4-0.5s between the hard and the medium.

Kimi Raikkonen’s top time on Day One was set on mediums, Michael Schumacher was fastest on hards with the 2011 Mercedes on Day Two, and then softs top the charts on the last two days with Romain Grosjean and Fernando Alonso respectively.

“The tires performed exactly in line with our expectations here in Jerez,” said Hembery. “We’ve had a very positive reaction from the drivers and teams so far, who have reported more grip at the rear, fewer ‘marbles’ and a reduced lap time difference between the compounds as well as faster overall performance – which is precisely what we wanted. We’re happy with the level of degradation and we had no issues, as was the case for all of last year.

“But as the temperatures in Jerez were very low and the teams have also concentrated on other areas than tires, it’s too early to draw any detailed conclusions. We’ll see more tire development work at the next test in Barcelona, as together with the teams, we fully understand the implications of the latest rules.

“However, with all three of our available slick tires having set a fastest time, it’s a clear sign that we are on course to meet our objectives.”

Adam Cooper notched up his 27th season as a racing journalist in 2011. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.
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