Pirelli plan tyre revamp

Formula 1 tyre manufacturers Pirelli has announced plans to introduce a wider range of tyres in order to make racing more interesting for viewers.

The Italian company’s output has regressed in the last two seasons, as tyres have become too easy to protect.

However, it now intends to create extra variations within its range in order to bring back interesting races.

Racing director Paul Hembery told AUTOSPORT: "It's something very hard to do, but if we are to remain in the sport for '17 we could really look at doing something like this,"

"If we were able to choose from a wider range then we'd have more certainty to deliver the two-to-three-stop races.

"As far as the public is concerned it would be a hard and a medium tyre, let's say, at a certain type of race. But we would be able to choose from three versions of the hard and three versions of the medium.

"Or to be more current, the super-soft we've just seen in Monaco and Canada would be quite different to the super-soft you would see in Singapore.

"To the outside world, though, it is simply a super-soft tyre because four compounds is more than enough.

"For the public, I don't think we need to do anything different as it would just create confusion. It would be too complex.

"The fans have only just got used to what they see now, they like the colours, they get that and they are quite easy to see. That works so you don't really want to create any more variation on that."

Pirelli’s current deal runs out at the end of next season, but it hopes to sign an extension.

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