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First test 'crucial' for tyres - Hembery

The eleven teams have been setting up at the Circuito de Jerez ahead of the start of testing on Tuesday © Sutton Images

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Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery says the first test at Jerez will be "crucial" for the teams to understand the 2013 tyres.

Red Bull's Adrian Newey admitted on Sunday that the Pirelli tyres would be "perhaps the most significant change" in Formula One over the winter as the regulations are staying relatively stable. Hembery agrees that the tests will be important for the teams to get a handle on them and says it will be especially challenging as the teams try to combine the new tyres with their new cars.

"The pre-season tests represent an important opportunity for the teams to integrate their new car package with the 2013 tyres," Hembery said. "With the number of test days strictly limited, the work done in testing will be crucial for their understanding of the tyres over the rest of the season. As many new cars will be running as well, it is sure to be an extremely busy four days in Jerez."

Hembery also said the teams will be learning how the new compounds give a bigger contact patch on the track surface.

"The teams will encounter tyres that are quite different to the ones they were used to last year, as every P Zero compound and construction has been changed, with softer compounds that allow more performance and a different construction that will place a bigger footprint on the track surface to enhance traction and grip. This is one of the key aspects of Jerez, which should enable the teams to start to understand the nature of our new tyres by the time they go home on Friday."

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