F1 teams will test an evolution of Pirelli’s ’hard’ tyre compound in Turkey on Friday.
The sport’s official supplier, worried in particular about Istanbul Park’s awesome Turn 8, tested an ultra-hard tyre at the circuit recently but ultimately decided to take its regular hard tyre to the race this weekend.
Tyre degradation has been high in 2011, and Turn 8 will be easily the toughest challenge faced by Pirelli so far.
"We will be interested to see if it (Turn 8) throws up an anomaly," admitted Virgin team boss John Booth.
Another tough challenge awaits two weeks later, where Circuit de Catalunya features an abrasive surface and the long sweeping right-hander near the start of the lap.
"If (in Turkey) we see the results that we expect from this life-sized test of the new tyre, our aim will be to use it in Barcelona," confirmed Pirelli’s research and development director Maurizio Boiocchi.
"This tyre will provide less degradation and so we expect it to last longer, but the warm-up time will also be a little longer and there will be less grip," he added.