Pirelli calculates the gap between its different compounds

Within a range recomposed in 2019 and renamed from C1 (the hardest) to C5 (the softest), Pirelli was able to note the difference between the different tires offered to the teams this week in Catalonia.

Enough to give new indications to the teams, after four days where it was the C5 tires which, logically, made it possible to achieve the best performances.

“It's still early days, but so far the tires seem to be performing as expected, with a performance gap of about 0 to 6 between each compound., explains Mario Isola, responsible F1 at Pirelli.

More in detail, that's about 0″6 seconds between C2 and C3 and about the same gap between C3 and C4, which were the most used tires of this session (the gap between C4 and C5 also appears identical in view of the best times on each of the compounds).

Due to the cool weather this week, there was some graining as expected, which should disappear as temperatures climb throughout the season.

When it comes to testing, there are many variables to consider when comparing to previous years. There are new 2019 regulations with different aerodynamics and heavier cars. We also noted that the track surface in Barcelona has evolved since last year.

That said, the cars have so far achieved a very impressive level of reliability and performance, aided by generally favorable weather conditions. As usual, during the first test the focus was on reliability and validation.

Next week, teams should focus more on performance and explore the full capabilities of the 2019 lineup."

Pirelli has also confirmed its development schedule for its 2020 tires:

Bahrain (April 2-3): Slick tires with Toro Rosso et McLaren

Barcelona (May 14-15): Slick tires with Ferrari and Racing Point

Paul Ricard (May 28-29): Rain tires with Ferrari (one day) and Red Bull (two days)

Spielberg (July 2-3): Slick tires with  Alfa Romeo

Silverstone (July 16-17): Red Bull slick tires and Williams

Paul Ricard (September 10-11): Slick tires with Mercedes