F1: Alguersuari tries out new Pirelli role

Jaime Alguersuari discovered a new part to his role with Pirelli after being called upon to help mount tyres on his arrival in Barcelona. The former Toro Rosso driver, who completed his first Pirelli test during a three-day session at Jerez earlier this week, was given the role of helping to fit a 2012 F1 tyre to gain a better understanding of the work that Pirelli's team of fitters carry out at circuits around the world. After receiving instructions from one of Pirelli's experienced fitters, Alguersuari took his turn to mount a tyre on its rim before sorting out both the pressure and balance; albeit taking somewhat longer than the two and a half minutes that it would normally take a Pirelli fitter. “It's certainly a more complex process than it looks!” Alguersuari said. “The tyre doesn't just click on: you really have to know what you are doing and place it exactly: sometimes using a lot of strength. And then you have to get the balancing precisely right, while not forgetting the other important things like putting a special glue on the bead of the tyre to stop it rolling around on the rim. “There is really a lot going on, and this just makes me appreciate the work that the fitters do all the more. As well as a specialised skill, they also have a very big responsibility.” Alguersuari will be part of the BBC 5Live commentary team again this weekend at Catalunya.