Drivers praise Pirelli's responsiveness

Arriving at the Nürburgring, where the German Grand Prix begins this Friday, the Formula 1 players are, for the most part, satisfied with the attitude of the Italian manufacturer.

Published on 04/07/2013 à 18:33

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They are, overall, satisfied. Several drivers have reacted to the way Pirelli handled the problem of their tires blowing out during the British Grand Prix. As a reminder, the Italian firm brings new compounds to Germany, tested during free practice in Canada, then will present even new tires during youth testing, which will turn into a real development session for the manufacturer, before introducing them during the Hungarian round. “I think it’s good because not even a week later (the Silverstone race, Editor’s note) "We are able to get different tires for the Grand Prix, which hopefully are safer for us.", expressed Sebastian Vettel, the three-time reigning world champion.

Winner in Great Britain of a very eventful Grand Prix, Nico Rosberg agrees with his compatriot before tackling his home race. “I believe the FIA will make the right choices, they are working hard with Pirelli on this”, estimated the German pilot. “I'm sure there will be progress and no concerns for this weekend. »

There are, however, some dissonant voices. That of Adrian Sutil is one of them. For the Force India driver, whose team was particularly adept with 2013 tire management, this change was not necessarily necessary. "As long as it's for safety, they have to improve it, conceded the German. But it has not been 100% proven that it was really a tire problem. Some said it was the tire that caused the punctures at Silverstone, others the kerbs or something like that? So it's always hard to see where the problem is. But four punctures in one race is too many, so they have to do something about it. »

To clearly support his words, Adrian Sutil repeats it: “I felt safe with the tires (from this year, Editor’s note) and I had no problems with them. I've done a few two-stop races, including one at Silverstone, so I didn't feel concerned. » In another register, however, the drivers manage to agree: in fact, all think that the new tires will have an impact on the level of performance. But it is currently too early to quantify it.