No return to 2018 Pirelli tires, reactions from the paddock

In Austria, at the end of June, the Formula 1 has hit rock bottom of ineptitude. That the vote ultimately leaned in favor of maintaining the 2019 tires changes nothing. The damage is done, and what remained of his credibility was almost shattered. How could F1, which thrives on avant-garde techniques, which is wrapped in its DNA as soon as the legislator proposes the standardization of parts which contribute nothing to performance, even organize a such consultation? An unnatural referendum aimed, in the event of victory for the supporters of the return of 2018 tire architectures, to slow down the one who worked the best and adapted the best? Since when has F1 been leveling down? And in the name of what ?

It is easier to brandish the “spectacle in danger” than to question the reasons for one’s own failure. How Red Bull Racing, which also had its period of domination, did it initiate this squabble? And, even more, how Team Was Ferrari able to follow suit? Enzo, get up, they've gone crazy! She whose name alone evokes the essential values ​​of F1, she who wants to be a bulwark against the excesses of a sport which also wants to be a spectacle, had no right to stoop to that.

However, vote, there was to eradicate these 2019 gums designated guilty of the undivided domination of Mercedes. A vote doomed to failure since with the game of alliances, the supporters of change had no chance of reaching the required 70%, or 7 of the 10 votes.

Unsurprisingly, in the “for” camp, we find Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo et Haas, and in the “against” clan, Mercedes, Williams, RacingPoint, Renault et McLaren. “After hearing everyone’s arguments, said Andy Green, technical director of Racing Point, we felt that the game was not worth the effort. It comes too late in the season, the most reasonable thing is to work on improving the tires and the show for the 2020 season. A hasty reaction in the middle of the season was not the solution. " " Damage, could only reply Paul Monaghan, chief engineer of Red Bull Racing, because the goal was to revitalize the show. It was an opportunity to be less egocentric. We accept the majority vote, but our opinion remains the same. »

“We wanted to see if anything could be done to improve the show,concluded Mario Isola, Pirelli competition director. Mercedes' dominance is not helping at the moment, and we had a discussion around the reintroduction of the 2018 tires but, after analyzing the positives and negatives, the conclusion is that it is better to keep the tires from year. This meeting was quite productive with new ideas, new proposals. We need to analyze them. We will continue to discuss and maybe we will be able to propose something at Silverstone.".

Proposals like those issued by this stable boss concerning the obligation to line up in the race with the tires used for Q3, and no longer for Q2. Thus, during the final session, we could see some teams set out to conquer pole on Soft tires and others prefer to sacrifice it to start in Mediums and benefit from a longer first stint. Such a modification, very easy to implement, would have the advantage of broadening the scope of strategies and offering a less predictable grid.

Likewise, still from the same manager, could we impose two compulsory tire stops in order to offer drivers one more possibility of getting rid of the car in front of them. If these measures are not ideal, they at least have the merit of being the least damaging to the DNA of the discipline and of being quickly applicable. May this ludicrous meeting, which sounds like a terrible admission of powerlessness, give birth to some innovative ideas.