Pirelli will not change its tires even though Red Bull wants it to
If Helmut Marko (Red Bull) and Toto Wolff (Mercedes) announce that Pirelli might revise its tires by the Bahrain Grand Prix, the Italian manufacturer seems to want to remain faithful to its 2013 tires, while, according to *Auto Motor und Sport*, Lotus would oppose any changes to the tires.
Unique manufacturer of Formula 1 since 2011, Pirelli challenges itself every season to offer new challenges to the drivers and their teams, thereby meeting the requirements imposed upon its arrival: to spice up the Grand Prix. However, the changes made to the Italian tires for 2013 are far from unanimous. Thus, while Red Bull seems to be struggling more than ever with its tires, Helmut Marko speaks out: “We are forced to tell our drivers to go through fast sections without going as fast as they can because it places too much load on the tires. Of course, we’ve had discussions with Pirelli [and] I think Pirelli has become aware of the situation and they have promised us that other compounds will be offered for Bahrain, at the latest,” the Austrian confided to Sky Germany.
The same sentiment is echoed from Brackley. Even if the Mercedes F1 W04 seems to have partially resolved the tire overheating issues that plagued the performance of the F1 W03, a change in tires would nonetheless be appreciated and anticipated, particularly by Toto Wolff, the new executive director of the German team: “There are definitely signs of a compound change. In all likelihood, it will be either in Bahrain or perhaps after,” the Austrian told the news agency SID.
However, despite being desired and even announced by Red Bull and Mercedes, a change in tires does not seem to be on the agenda at Pirelli, according to Paul Hembery, director of Pirelli Motorsport: « If we did that and wanted to favor one team, then the season would be over. Everything would be over at Monza. [Red Bull] is clearly very strong, maybe they would like to be even more so, but I’m sure other teams would too. » And the Briton reminded that tires are just one factor among many others: « You adapt your driving to what is available, which is the case at any level of motorsports. You could also make more use of engine power while they are not used to their full capacity: there are many components [that need to be managed] like this, not just the tires. »
Pirelli should therefore not change its approach, and if the 2013 tires cause disappointment for some, others are quite pleased, particularly Ferrari. Indeed, with the Lotus E21, the Ferrari F138 seems to adapt quite well to the new Pirelli tires, and Stefano Domenicali, director of the Italian team, sees no reason to change the tires: « Pirelli cannot change anything without the agreement of all the teams, unless there is an imminent safety risk. There is no need to panic after two races. » Indeed, according to Paul Hembery, Red Bull would be the only team truly pushing for a change in tires: « We have received only one complaint because everyone else told us, “We don’t know what they are talking about.” As far as I’m concerned, everyone adapts to the equipment at their disposal, which is the same at all levels of motorsports. »
On the Enstone side, according to Auto Motor und Sport, Lotus is reportedly ready to veto any changes concerning the tires. However, for Helmut Marko, the fact that Pirelli used the Renault R30 for its tests could explain the good tire performance on the Lotus E21: « It’s obvious that the Pirelli tires are designed for this type of car. Today’s Lotus shares the same DNA [as the Renault R30]. »
