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New tyres will be the key to title success - Ferrari

Stefano Domenicali: "What happens from Hungary onwards, I don't know" © Getty Images

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• Stefano Domenicali

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• Ferrari

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali says the key to this year's championship will be unlocking performance from the new Pirelli tyres set to be introduced at the next round in Hungary.

After the blow outs at Silverstone, Pirelli brought an interim solution to the Nurburgring before a complete change in construction is introduced at the Hungaroring. The new tyres will feature the same construction as last year's tyres but will stick with the softer compounds used so far this year.

All the teams bar Mercedes will have a chance to test the new tyres at Silverstone next week and Domenicali believes they could make or break the championship for Ferrari.

"Now there is a very important element that has to be considered on top of the normal development of the car and that is understanding how the new tyres will affect the performance of the car," he said. "This is the most important thing that everyone has to deal with and it is essential for us if we want to believe in fighting for the championship."

Domenicali said he could not predict what effect the tyres would have on the title race, but said the difference between getting it right and getting it wrong would be marginal.

"What happens from Hungary onwards, I don't know because we know what the construction is and we know what the compounds are but we have never tested them together," he said. "We see how things can change so quickly with a couple of degrees [in track temperature] so you have one car that is very quick on Friday and then struggling on Sunday. I think this is really the challenge that all the engineers at the teams will have to face over the next few weeks."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.