We concluded the long interview we had the pleasure of conducting with Formula1.it director Daniele Muscarella and motorsports director Pirelli, Mario Isola. With these last questions, we try to immediately understand what the data collected during the tests will turn into, at the level of GP applications. Furthermore, intrigued by the debut of a wet testing session studied in the Sakhir Desert, we sought to gain more insight into its execution methods. Session that will take place at the end of the month (statement issued before test cancelled for recent events in Bahrain).
Bahrain's nomination and logistical difficulties
M. Sassara: The first test session took place with the strongest compounds of the lot, C1, C2 and C3, which represented the nomination for the 2025 Bahrain GP. For the second one you made all the compounds available. We noticed a preference for C2, C3, and C4, with someone still choosing the sets of C1 and C5. Could this be an invitation from the teams to bring a softer compound this year?
M. Isola: “Actually, each team made very different choices from each other. In fact, there are those who went softer, but there are also those who remained focused on the compounds that will be brought into competition. Historically in Sakhir we come with C1, C2 and C3, so it is clear that teams in Bahrain try to bring home as much information as possible about these three compounds. However, they have carried out different programmes. There are those who preferred to bring C2, C3 and C4, but there are also those, like Cadillac, who chose them all because, being a new team, they wanted to have data regarding all the compounds to understand how they work. Clearly C5 was not developed for Bahrain. C5 is a compound that will work here and it won't work. The softer compounds were the last to be approved. We had waited for the last tests of 2025 to verify them. We had agreed with the teams to provide them with the toughest in the range, which had been defined in advance. We started production quite early considering the three test sessions and five non-European competitions, which involve a greater expenditure of energy and logistical preparation time than European general practitioners. There is also the theme of the Red Sea that can no longer be crossed. Logistics has become a nightmare. The tires start from the sea and must circumnavigate Africa. It took three weeks longer than normal. This means we had to produce. The tires for Australia, China and Japan in record time, while we were producing the ones for testing. Soon after we had to start producing compounds for Bahrain and Jeddah. This year has been really tough. Not that other seasons are a walk in the park”, he concluded jokingly.
In the image we have Mario Isola, director of motorsport Pirelli, in the foreground, while in the small box, starting from the left, the director of Formula1.it, Daniele Muscarella and the editor Marco Sassara.
Desert Wet Test, Isola: "Sometimes you have to have courage."
M. Sassara: And these settle in the wet in the Bahraini desert? Can you tell us something more? (The test has been cancelled due to recent incidents in Bahrain).
M. Isola: “Our crazy idea. We have talked about this many times. We wanted to do a test on a high-stress track. The circuits in which we tend to carry out wet tests are of low severity. Let's talk about the short Paul Ricard, Magny-Cours, Fiorano… They are all three of low severity. This leads us to develop a product that can work well on a similar track, but then exhibits overheating and degradation on tracks where degradation tends to be most stressed. We wanted to find a system. We thought about it, we took a telephone photo in the rays of Bahrain, which I thank because they are all very cooperative. I thank Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa (CEO of the Bahrain International Circuit, ed) and Sherif Al Mahdy (CCO of the Bahrain International Circuit, ed). I told him, ‘I'll throw you a little’ crazy idea. Could you arrange a wet test for me there?’. They thought about it and came back with a certainly new and revolutionary idea that will allow the entire circuit to be wet. We'll see if with the hose and irrigation system they've designed, they can ensure consistent humidity that will allow us to test. We said to ourselves that you have to have courage in life. Sometimes you have to try”.
The companies that had made themselves available were “McLaren and Mercedes”, whose tests were due to take place between February 28 and March 1°. On this occasion, Pirelli was supposed to test a new compound that Isola defined as “Super Intermediate” during the winter sessions. A compound capable of adapting very well from humid conditions with light rain, up to almost completely humid conditions.
We thank Pirelli and Mario Isola for their friendliness and helpfulness in the interview. Partial reproduction of this exclusive interview is possible after citing the author (Marco Sassara) and the formula1.it source with a link to the original content.
Read also in italian lagnuage: Esclusiva Pirelli - Test bagnato nel deserto, Isola: «La nostra folle idea»
