F1 cars to be five seconds per lap quicker?

Cape Town - Pirelli motorsport chief Paul Hembery remains upbeat that they will deliver on their prediction of cutting lap times by five seconds in 2017.

The wheel rim size remains unchanged at 13 inches, but the front tyres have increased in width from 245mm to 305mm and the rears are now 405mm compared 325mm last year.

And, after vigorous testing, Pirelli are still optimistic that teams will notice a big difference in performance.

"I'm curious to see the designs of the cars because the look and feel will be different, more aggressive that's for sure," Hembery said at Pirelli's official launch in Turin.

"The simulations suggest five seconds [quicker] compared to Barcelona two years ago, so it really is a big thing.

"Melbourne will really start showing the changes, the improvements.

"We too are not really sure where we are with the tyres [until testing], which is the same for the teams."

Every team will be able to get their hands on the new tyres when the first winter test begins on February 28 in Barcelona.