F1 on 18” tyres – Paul Hembery explains why Pirelli wants this

Larger diameter tyres made Formula One headlines following the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and subsequent testing at the circuit. And although F1 tyre supplier Pirelli’s priority with the 18-inch tyres it brought to Silverstone was aesthetics rather than performance, Pirelli sees major benefits in swapping from 13 to 18-inch tyres. In an interview conducted with our sister publication Neue Reifenzeitung during the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery explained that such a switch would deliver the Italian tyre maker numerous benefits, but these wouldn’t necessarily come through technology transfer.