Porsche Concludes Michelin Tire Test in Abu Dhabi

Photo: Porsche

Porsche has concluded a five-day test in Abu Dhabi, focused on tire development with technical partner Michelin, ahead of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship season.

Reigning World Champions Timo Bernhard, Mark Webber and Brendon Hartley were on hand for the test at Yas Marina Circuit, covering more than 2,500 miles in a program that also saw aerodynamic comparisons to its updated Porsche 919 Hybrid.

It came following a three-day test earlier this month, also in Abu Dhabi, which was interrupted due to chassis damage on the car which required a new tub to have been flown in.

This time around, no such issues were reported, with the focus being on tire development. The 919 Hybrid was evaluated with three different constructions of Michelin slick tires, along with multiple compound options.

“It is a demanding and important task to make the right choices out of the variety of tires, as we will spend the season on them,” said team principal Andreas Seidl. “Consistent conditions are essential to get reliable results.

“In Abu Dhabi we didn’t only have dry conditions, but also constant temperatures. We can’t find such conditions in Europe at this time of the year.”

Porsche will continue its pre-season testing in Europe next month, prior to the official pre-season Prologue test at Paul Ricard, where all three of the LMP1 factory contenders will meet with their new or updated machinery for the first time.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John