Testing at Paul Ricard

Following on from the previous post about testing at Silverstone, where I said that I would have opted to test in France, rather than rainy England, it transpires that there is another reason for testing near the Mediterranean.

Apparently Ferrari and Toyota are testing there at Bridgestone's request, as the tarmac surface most closely resembles that of Monaco. And because Monaco is a much slower race than any other, Bridgestone are producing special, softer, tyres for that race. And they need to be evaluated, hence the tests. It's still difficult to get meaningful results though, as the Ricard track has faster corners that generate more heat in the front tyres (and thus more rapid wear) but it's still considered worth the effort.

Just thought you'd like to know.