Sébastien Buemi describes Pirelli tires

Sébastien Buemi, you took to the track this Saturday for the first time on Pirelli tires. How did you experience this day?
I knew what to expect after the tests carried out yesterday (Friday) by the team. The circuit has not improved, I even think it was a little slower today. But it was very important because we were able to do long runs. In particular, we did a very long run, we were able to see how the tire behaves. We have a good idea of ​​what the tires do. It is now very important to have a good discussion with Pirelli, because we know what the tires do and we know what we should have on the car. But we have to know how they are going to evolve the tire. Because, if we work based on these tires and in February he brings a completely different tire, it could be a little difficult for us. We are therefore going to discuss seriously with them to find out in which direction they are going to go. It will then be up to us to make a decision.

It?s up to the teams to give them directives?
For our part, we tell them what we feel. We tell them what we would like the tire to do to make it better. Then, it’s up to them to make decisions and then us to adapt.

But your 2011 cars are already done. How to adapt?
We have little ideas of how the tire behaves, how it influences the aerodynamics of the car. We were able to note many very interesting details. The Pirelli tire seems to produce less downforce on the car, although we don't yet know where that comes from. It also seems to be less sensitive to changes in support.

That's to say ?
For us, until now, the front wing has proven to be very important. With the Bridgestone tires, each change in downforce at the front wing made a big difference in the tire and the behavior of the car. For example, we had to put more downforce on the front when we had more fuel. There (with the Pirelli tire), everything we do on the front wing seems to have little consequence. We hardly feel any change. On the one hand, this is a good thing; on the other, it will be more complicated. We will need to know how to adapt.

What did you feel about the general characteristics of the Pirelli tire?
They are very efficient at the start! We had our best start of the year today. They are also very efficient when braking: you can brake very hard and very late. On the other hand, when accelerating, traction is poor and the car loses a lot of grip. They are better at braking and worse at acceleration. And, in terms of wear, it is much higher on these tires.

Were you able to measure the longevity of the tires during long outings on the track?
We did a long run on soft tires because they wear much less than hard tires. It is surprising. In my opinion they made a mistake on their hard tire. They have already told us that they are going to change it.

Pirelli will redefine the architecture of its rear tire but the front tire seems to satisfy everyone. You confirm ?
Yes, the front tires are good. They react well and fit into turns well. We feel that this tire seems very similar to the Bridgestone. On the other hand, the rear tire is very weak.