Pirelli say drivers can push for entire race in France!

Pirelli's Head of Car Racing Mario Isola has said that drivers will be able to push for the entire race at this weekend's French Grand Prix.

Isola believes that there will not be too much tyre saving during the race at Circuit Paul Ricard, which can only be a good thing, allowing drivers to drive to the limit of their car for the entire race.

2019 is the second time the French Grand Prix has been held since its return to the calendar last season.

Isola said: “Our tyre choice this weekend is slightly more conservative than the 2018 soft, supersoft and ultrasoft tyres that we brought to France last year, as the supersoft is no longer part of the 2019 range. Consequently, the drivers should be able to push hard from the start to the finish of each stint.

“Along with Barcelona and Silverstone, we used the thinner gauge tyres in France last year, so we can again make a direct comparison about how the cars have evolved from 2018. Although a large part of the circuit has been re-asphalted, it should not make much difference to the track’s characteristics.

“With this being only the second time at the circuit, teams still do not have a full complement of data, so we will see plenty of learning. We have already used Paul Ricard for testing this year, but that has been on a much shorter, separate configuration rather than the full grand prix circuit”.