Formula 1 teams will get to try out an experimental soft-compound tire during Friday practice at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as Pirelli continues to make preparations for tweaks to its 2012 rubber.
Now that the world championships have been clinched, Pirelli has been evaluating its options for next year, and this will include the soft tires being tested at Yas Marina on Friday, plus a limited number of 2012-spec rubber being made available for the post-event young driver test.
Speaking about the plans for the weekend, Pirelli director of motorsport Paul Hembery said: "At this point in the season, our emphasis is obviously on refining our tire choices for next year, which is why we are seeing some new tires during free practice here and the young driver test.
"With very limited opportunities for testing during the season, this is important for us to collect information as we develop our strategy for 2012, which will feature tires that are a bit different from this year's range.
"We're very familiar with the Yas Marina circuit as a testing venue so we're confident that the tire choice we have made for the race should suit the characteristics of the track. Abu Dhabi is an absolutely fantastic facility with some good overtaking opportunities, so we're very pleased to be celebrating our first anniversary there."