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"  Pirelli&amp;#039;s preparations for its return to Formula 1 next season got underway in August when Nick Heidfeld began testing the Italian company&amp;#039;s new rubber at the wheel of a 2009 F1 chassis.   The German veteran will spearhead an intensive development program at various tracks in the coming months. The 12 existing teams will have a chance to try the new tires in Abu Dhabi in mid-November, a few days after the final Grand Prix of the season.   In the interests of fairness Pirelli wanted to use a driver who had no ties with a team, so Heidfeld quit his job as &amp;#039; third driver to take up the offer. Similarly, Pirelli wanted to use a contemporary car, but not one supplied by a current competitor. Although Toyota pulled out of F1 at the end of last year, the management has been looking for a use for its Cologne factory, and it still had the equipment and personnel with which to support a test program.   Pirelli&amp;#039;s return will provide the sport with a huge shake-up as teams and drivers get used to the new product. The Abu Dhabi test will be the only chance for them to gather data before their 2011 designs are signed off, and the likelihood is that some teams will do a better job than others of adjusting to the change of supplier. However, the teams have asked that where possible Pirelli should follow the path taken by the outgoing Bridgestone, to minimize any disruption.   Drivers too are very sensitive to tire development. Michael Schumacher\u2014who briefly used Pirelli in his first season in 1991\u2014has struggled to come to terms with the current generation of Bridgestones. He enjoyed a hugely successful relationship with the Japanese company in the tire war days, when he could dictate what direction was taken.   Although Schumacher will have no more influence than any other driver next year, the switch to Pirelli may work in his favor. Having said that, his big problem has been dealing with the grip provided by the narrower front tire mandated by the FIA for 2010, and which Pirelli will also use next year. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/news/a16530/power-is-nothing-without-controlof-f1/>