McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa has said that the 2010 Bridgestone tyres he is helping to test at Jerez this week are working well. The new tyres incorporate technology allowing them to function at lower temperatures because the use of tyre warming blankets is banned from 2010. De la Rosa was positive about the performance of the rubber, which was also adversely affected by low track temperatures yesterday.
“It wasn’t that bad. Bridgestone has brought new compounds which are designed to work at lower temperatures, so it wasn’t so hard to bring them heat them up,” the Spaniard is quoted as saying by autosport.com.
“After a long run they were very worn out, but this is normal. We were trying to complete the biggest number of laps per set.”
McLaren are perhaps playing psychological games in announcing their testing of 2010 technology. The team are known to have already started development on their 2010 car, and their ability to develop the tyres – helping Bridgestone – sends an ominous sign to their rivals.
