• Valencia Test - Day Three

Pirelli happy with testing performance

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Pirelli is pleased with the results of the first pre-season test in Valencia, considering the cold conditions and nature of the track.

Several drivers reported high levels of degradation after the second day of the test, with Robert Kubica saying tyre management could become more of a factor this season. However, the Italian tyre firm has always maintained it is aiming for a higher level of degradation than last year's Bridgestones in order to mix up strategy and make races more exciting.

Motorsport director Paul Hembery said that given the conditions, the results were pretty much as expected.

"It depends on the compound as well because when it's too cold the tyres are slipping and it's also a track that is hardly representative," he said. "All tyres degrade, that's certainly something that people seem to have forgotten over the last few days. We've been using the medium compound primarily and we're very happy with the way that has been working."

When asked if the plan to improve racing through tyre degradation was on course, Hemebery said: "Well it's two levels, it's degradation and wear. Wear is the way the compound is actually consumed on the tyre and that's different to degradation, which is where you move from a peak in performance to a stable performance and that's in line with we've seen and what we understand."

He said Pirelli could not react to individual comments from drivers, but instead had to do what was best for the teams as a whole.

"Being the sport it is, each team has its own agenda and as a supplier sometimes you've got to sit back and weigh up all the comments from all the teams and all the data, so you can't react to just one comment otherwise you'd be accused of making changes or wanting to assist one particular person or team. So you have to take a dispassionate view of that and take an overall picture of where you are at."

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