Pirelli say they are delighted to welcome Nick Heidfeld as the test driver for their tyre development program which kicked off today in Maranello.
Heidfeld, who was released from his Mercedes contract this week so that he could fill the Pirelli test driver role, was chosen because of his recent knowledge of the current Bridgestone tyres.
“We’re delighted to welcome Nick into the Pirelli family, and we’re confident that he’ll do a great job for us,” Pirelli’s motorsport director, Paul Hembery said.
“The role of test driver is a crucial one, so we were looking for a driver who had plenty of recent Formula 1 experience, the speed to push our new tyres as hard as possible, and the consistency to provide reliable simulations, as well as the analytical skills to relay information accurately to our engineers.
“Nick fits the bill in every respect and we’re very pleased to have secured his services.”
The Italian manufacturer have also secured the use of a Toyota TF109 used in pre-season testing for the 2009 season, which Hembery believes was the ‘perfect’ solution to ensure no one team was favoured during the development stages.
“As for the car, we have a policy of complete impartiality, so we did not want to favour any existing team,” he added.
“The Toyota was the perfect solution, as it is a contemporary racing machine with proven speed and reliability but without links to any of the manufacturers currently competing in Formula 1.
“I’m confident that we have an extremely good package that will give us every opportunity to maximise the potential of our tyres prior to the start of next season.”
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