Experimental rubber for Silverstone practice

For the first time during the 2012 Formula One World Championship, tyre manufacturer Pirelli will bring an experimental tyre compound to a race weekend.

All the teams in the Formula One paddock will get to use the new compound during both practice sessions on Friday [assuming it is actually dry of course!].

The new compound is an experimental version of the hard tyre compound and each team will have two sets to use alongside their usual allocation of the Silver striped hard compound and the yellow striped soft compound.

“Silverstone is one of the most iconic circuits on the Formula One calendar, precisely because it is so demanding for the drivers, cars and tyres, This is why we have chosen to test a new experimental hard compound here during free practice, which we may use in the future. Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery told formula1.com.

“The new tyre has a slightly wider working range, which should make it easier for the teams to get the tyres into the right operating temperature window. But with the championship so finely balanced, our priority is to ensure that no one team is handed any particular advantage.”

Pirelli have also announced which compound tyres the teams will have for rounds ten and eleven of the 2012 Formula One World Championship.

The teams will have the use of both the medium and soft compounds for the German and Hungarian Grands Prix in July.

That combination of compounds is proving to be a popular choice by Pirelli as it was also used for the races at Australia, China, Bahrain and last time out for the European Grand Prix at Valencia.

But while the teams will be familiar with the tyre compounds, they will still be none the wiser in regards to how they are likely to perform.

This year is the first time Pirelli have visited the Hockenheim, with the 2011 German Grand Prix hosted by the Nurburgring, while the Hungarian Grand Prix might not be new to Pirelli, last year the teams used the soft and supersoft tyres, so there will be a dramatic difference in terms of tyre degradation between last season and this.