Olivier Panis concerned about safety, Pirelli ready to respond
While most Formula 1 observers lament the impact, considered negative, that Pirelli tires now have on the spectacle provided during Grand Prix weekends, Olivier Panis is primarily concerned about driver safety. Paul Hembery, Pirelli's motorsport director, says he is ready to make an announcement after the Bahrain Grand Prix, should there be any changes.
In China, Pirelli tires have once again sparked debate. However, with the same types of compounds as in 2012, drivers made only two more pit stops in total than in the previous edition, where there were 55 tire changes compared to 57 this year. But the power of images outweighs the impact of numbers, and the choice of certain strategies by the drivers, starting from the qualifiers, has upset some observers, including Olivier Panis: “When you see Vettel and Button starting on hard tires to prepare for the race, strategically, they are right. However, for the spectacle and fun of the drivers, what’s the point? It’s completely stupid!” said the Frenchman to RMC.
« It doesn’t have much to do with racing if all you’re doing is preserving the tires,” analyzes Sebastian Vettel. « If we lose five seconds per lap just because of the tires, it doesn’t have much to do with our skills as drivers or with the qualities of the cars. Before, we could attack, but now, when you have to fight, it’s a bit unknown. Twice [Sunday] I didn’t try to defend because it would have been like shooting myself in the foot. »
But if the 2013 tires do not seem to meet the expectations of the public and the actors of Formula 1, it is above all the risk they represent in terms of safety that worries Olivier Panis: Today, it factors into a safety problem. [This weekend], Button has a flat, locks up, and bursts a tire. Above all, a tire must not burst at the rear when the guy is going 300 km/h… That’s just what scares me, it’s about safety. It’s degrading and it’s the same for everyone but be careful not to go too far.
The Frenchman does not want to solely blame the Italian manufacturer: « Pirelli is not 100% at fault. I think they have been asked to deliver things for a show we want to put on. They follow a set of specifications and I think it’s not only Pirelli who decides on the tire construction. I don’t want to point fingers and criticizing would be pointless, but now, we’re going too far. »
Thus, if Niki Lauda claimed this weekend that Pirelli has a plan, with the potential introduction of a new, harder compound, Paul Hembery, the competition director of the Milan-based company, stated he is ready to react: “If we make changes, we will announce them after Bahrain and in time for Barcelona.” Meanwhile, the Briton will undoubtedly seek to reach an agreement with the teams and the FIA to provide an additional set of tires to teams running a third driver during Friday morning’s Free Practice sessions.
