Formula 1 approves Pirelli test plan

Pirelli had warned on Monday that it would have to quit the sport if its 2017 testing programme was not ratified by the end of Monday, as it felt it would have no time to get the new tyres ready in time.

The Italian manufacturer had written to the FIA to emphasise that its 2017 plans needed to be sorted immediately, or else it would leave Formula 1.

The deadline for the approval was 4pm CET today.

On Monday afternoon, however, the F1 Commission and the Strategy Group voted unanimously to approve the regulations to allow Pirelli to go ahead with its scheduled programme.

Pirelli boss Paul Hembery had said earlier this month that it was vital for testing plans to be finalised in order to be ready for the new demands that will be imposed on tyres when new regulations come into play next yeare.

"In practice, we are at the limit already," Hembery told Motorsport.com. "There are only six months of work left in order to study and implement the whole thing, and it's not easy.

"The teams want a perfect tyre but week after week it is becoming less and less feasible. Our deadline is [the end of] April.

"If we can not work as we want, it becomes impossible to deliver what is required of us. We do not want to put our name at risk for the sake of not having the tests nor information necessary to do a good job.

"We have already seen that if then there are problems, then it is our fault."