OCTOBER 25, 2012

Could new tyres impact 2012 title contenders

It is believed that new construction Pirelli tyres for 2013 will be aimed at making the tyres easier to use in terms of their operating window but while still retaining the degradation that has spiced up some of the 2012 F1 action.

"The tyres appear as though they are going to be quite a lot different, more a radial than the current tyre," Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn said in India.

The plan is apparently to allocate two sets of the 2013 specification rubber for use on Friday at Interlagos and it will be important for teams to collect as much data as possible for use over the winter development of their new chassis. It will also be used for wind tunnel tyre modelling.

If, however, the championship battle which looks likely to come doen to a straight fight between Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, is still alive, those drivers are unlikely to want to compromise their race performance testing the new tyres.

"It is their choice," Brawn smiled. "That's one of the few perks of not being involved!"

While the tyre construction is likely to be significantly different, the compounds will remain similar.