Hamilton: Pirelli makes F1 not "pure speed racing"

[Xosé Estrada]

Lewis Hamilton has joined the growing list of critics that oppose the current Pirelli tyre lineup, saying that because of the tyres, "I didn't enjoy the race."

Pirelli opted for a much more volatile compound for the tyres this season - which provoke higher degradation in order to throw another variable into the mix, and ultimately make the races more exciting & unpredictable.

The 2008 drivers champion said that "these tyres make it very hard, very difficult to make them last," "It's not fun, I didn't enjoy the race." He then went on to explain how "it's not the same as back in the day when you had stints where you are pushing to the maximum the whole time, you had tyres that would last."

"It's like you have a hundred dollars and you have to spend it wisely over a period of time." He said, "It makes racing a lot different. It's more strategic rather than pure speed racing."

Pirelli, however, made it expressly clear that it will not change the 2013 tyre lineup based on the opinions of a handful of critics. Pirelli director Paul Hembry explained that "We have had two races and we tend to look at the first group of four races to see where we are."

"We had the tyres back in Brazil so we knew what to expect for this year. The tyres are the same for everybody, so there is no political issue with this. It is up to each team to adapt to the regulations."

There have been many critics of the new tyres, including former Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger, and Red Bull billionaire, Dietrich Mateschitz.

Red Bull thought the tyres damaged the overall performance of their car. Lotus aficionado Eric Boullier said that Red Bull are to blame for their current tyre woes - and that it is not Pirelli's issue to solve.

Boullier thinks that Red Bull have designed their car in a way which "is all based on the aero." "This is why, when the tyres start to be an important part of the car and the car performance, they may struggle." The Lotus boss' opinion should be valued, as Lotus proved his point at the 2013 opener in Australia, where Kimi Raikonnen took his Lotus E21 from seventh on the grid, to win the race.

This victory was somewhat down to the tyre management of the car. Vettel dropped from pole position to third in Melbourne, which shows that Red Bull have pace for a short number of laps, for example qualifying, but cannot manage their tyres in a way which will win races.

Photo: http://www.flagworld.com/

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[Philip Antonia]

Have to agree with Lewis here!!

All those years in lower formula's etc making their way to the pinnacle of motorsport and then have to drive them slower than they could because of rubber that doesn't last and not enough fuel to actually complete 100% distance without a safety car!!

Really quite sad in all honesty :-(

 

[Hampus Andersson]

Proper tires and refuelling back please.

it was fresh when it came but i rather see drivers do qualifying runs in the races.

 

[Diego Lopez]

I'm with Lotus on this one, it is Red Bull the ones to make the car work with any tires.

If Lotus and Ferrari were good with their rubber on both races, why is Red Bull whining? oh that's right, they are starting to sound like Ferrari in 2005 "wahh wahh wahh wahh the tires this and regulations that"

You have Newey, shut up already, I swear this is why Red bull will never earn any respect.

Im happy they way is going, and I hope it stays that way, I remember where I would fall asleep in 2010 and 2009 when everyone knew when someone was going to refuel and how tires just lasted too long in 2010.

people literally complained, now they are complaining about this tires. wow.

Racing, isn't always about going fast 24/7, it is also being able to master your reliability and win with what your are GIVEN, not with what you WANT. Last year when we thought 1 stoppers were not going to ever happen, it happened, is only race 2. A true racer doesn't always squeesze the extra out of a car and put on on pole or better, but also is able to manage it to the end with what little he has. Take Senna in Monaco against Mansell, he could of gone to the pits and get fresh rubber, the race did slow down and he managed to held back a faster car "managing and being able to control" his car on rubber that didn't even existed on his tires.

Mateshitz, Marko and Horner, the 3 Vettel Musketeer Stooges, just need to stop blaming the tires, and see how Lotus got it to work right, I mean come on, are they going to blame Webber on this one too and protect Vettel and then have Pirelly make an apology for taking the performance out of their car and not make them win races? #sarcasm

give me a break.

#NoRespectRB

 

[Shane Butler]

I'm with Lotus on this one, it is Red Bull the ones to make the car work with any tires.

If Lotus and Ferrari were good with their rubber on both races, why is Red Bull whining? oh that's right, they are starting to sound like Ferrari in 2005 "wahh wahh wahh wahh the tires this and regulations that"

You have Newey, shut up already, I swear this is why Red bull will never earn any respect.

Im happy they way is going, and I hope it stays that way, I remember where I would fall asleep in 2010 and 2009 when everyone knew when someone was going to refuel and how tires just lasted too long in 2010.

people literally complained, now they are complaining about this tires. wow.

Racing, isn't always about going fast 24/7, it is also being able to master your reliability and win with what your are GIVEN, not with what you WANT. Last year when we thought 1 stoppers were not going to ever happen, it happened, is only race 2. A true racer doesn't always squeesze the extra out of a car and put on on pole or better, but also is able to manage it to the end with what little he has. Take Senna in Monaco against Mansell, he could of gone to the pits and get fresh rubber, the race did slow down and he managed to held back a faster car "managing and being able to control" his car on rubber that didn't even existed on his tires.

Mateshitz, Marko and Horner, the 3 Vettel Musketeer Stooges, just need to stop blaming the tires, and see how Lotus got it to work right, I mean come on, are they going to blame Webber on this one too and protect Vettel and then have Pirelly make an apology for taking the performance out of their car and not make them win races? #sarcasm

give me a break.

#NoRespectRB

If the tyres were more durable and all the cars were going at full speed, the Red Bull would be winning by an absolute mile. So that's why they are frustrated, which is understandable I think.

Diego, I respect your opinions and I'm always interested to hear your thoughts. But ask yourself this honestly and truthfully. If the teams were reversed, Ferrari were the quickest car and Red Bull were behind by a fair distance, wouldnt you be frustrated just like Red Bull fans? And I wonder if your opinion would change on the topic of pirelli and their tyres. I reckon you'd be calling out for the drivers to go flat out for the whole race on really durable tyres so that Ferrari could maximise their performance advantage over Red Bull. You are a Ferrari and Alonso fan aren't you?

 

[Howard]

I think all of the comments above hold merit. To be honest, I think that it's not the tires that are the main variable that is the issue here - the tires are there to mix up what would otherwise be a very linear grid. It's stopping the cars with a large advantage from aero design & other things, from getting ahead (Cough cough, Adrian Newey).

If it wasn't for the tires, as Shane said, then it would be whoever has the best aero & other factors - rather than straight up racing. This is the main issue with Formula 1, that it's more of a technology game, than a racing one.

But this is just my opinion, and it's why I also follow GP2 & F3 where there isn't this much of a divide between teams!

 

[mystaaRS]

First of all, I would like Michelin and Bridgestone back, to have a proper tire battle, which would make the races much more interesting.
I don't really like what Pirelli are doing, since Formula 1 should be more about speed, rather than going slower since the tyres won't last long. The Cars are already slower than 10 years ago, and then they bring these tyres to make the speed even slower? At least Red Bull can't win every race this way.

 

[mystaaRS]

Also about teams being more equal, why don't the bigger teams sell their car models (or something similar) to the smaller teams. That would help the smaller teams a lot to improve, I heard somewhere that they done that before?

 

[Metalfreaky]

I agree with Hamilton. We are at the point where the 24h of LeMans is a sprint race where the drivers push the whole race and in F1 it's all about managing the tires.
Yes, we see more overtaking, yes we the more pitstops and different strategies but we do not see any "more racing" .

But we should not do the mistake and blame Pirelli for that.

 

[Ivan Mills]

Yeah well,its the same for everyone,so might as well get over it, get used to it, make the most of it,and spare F1 fans the weeping and whinning.

 

[snthennumbers]

Pretty simple solution as I see it:
Keep the tires as they are since F1 does need some volatility. As much as I like Ferrari I did get a little bored when it was Schumacher and Barrichello 1-2 every race back in the day.

Next, bring refueling back. If we have volatile tires AND refueling, that will allow the drivers to be able to push again, and will allow for more race strategies...more passing...more better.

(Optional) Bring in another tire manufacturer...it will only enhance the above.

*wipes hands* I'm done here

 

[Andrew Ford]

I am a lewis hamilton fan. at the same time, i love a tactical side to racing.

i think early last season the tyres made things more of a lottery and things got interesting. then again, redbull and all the top teams still prevailed. is this hurting redbull this season|?isn't vettel still winning the title race? didn't redbull just get a 1-2 at the 2nd race? the aero on the redbull and its average lap speed advantage will make up for tyre problems - more and more as the teams come to grip with the tyres (pardon the pun).

personally, i'm sure more people would rather the fastest driver won an f1 championship than the steadiest. isn't this why senna and mansell are revered? isn't this why gille villeneuve is remembered so fondly (its not just about dying - before someone starts). people like racers who go for it. by nature, race drivers take risks. i'd hate to see a situation where slow and steady wins the race.

we're not there yet but it's heading that way. as a hamilton fan, its a shame to say but he is unlikely to win as many championships as his daring and speed deserve (in my opinion) due to the tyres being out of favour with him and other "racers". there is also the concern that in the future, there will be one way to drive to get the optimum out of the tyres rather than the individuality that we have seen through different driving styles.
should be interesting to see how things develop in 2013...but for the foreseeable future, it seems that steady will win the race.

 

[Andrew Ford]

Pretty simple solution as I see it:
Keep the tires as they are since F1 does need some volatility. As much as I like Ferrari I did get a little bored when it was Schumacher and Barrichello 1-2 every race back in the day.

Next, bring refueling back. If we have volatile tires AND refueling, that will allow the drivers to be able to push again, and will allow for more race strategies...more passing...more better.

(Optional) Bring in another tire manufacturer...it will only enhance the above.

*wipes hands* I'm done here

you may well disagree, but i think there is far more strength in depth now regarding divers and competition. as much as i liked damon hill being british, if he was the closest challenger to schumacher for a period, what hope did the others have? when raikkonen, alonso, hamilton and vettel came along, the sport changed. young guys not scared to have a go and be the best. same happened in snooker.

 

[zlep]

They should bring back refueling then they can leave the tires as they are because of the lighter car.

 

[Justin Webley]

All I see is another interview with Lewis moaning that he didn't win and this time its all the fault of the Pirelli.

 

[Omer Said]

I believe the solution is to introduce seperate tyres for qualifying and also let all 4 compounds to be used in weekends. That way, a driver like Hamilton might go with the hardest tyre while a tyre-friendly driver may choose a softer one.

 

[Richard Pittam]

Pirelli are doing what is asked of them by the top brass in F1. They want the racing to be fun to watch.
The drivers are doing a job, I don't care if it's fun for them. Does Lewis care if my job is fun? It needs to be fun for the spectators and TV audience because the more viewers, the more revenue from sponsors.
I don't think we'll see re-fuelling again as it's just another safety concern.

 

[TheHemps]

I think Pirelli are forgetting the point of F1. The cars are all about top engineering precision and performance and everything else is about appearance.

For example. If McLaren can't get the tyres to work, GlaxoSmithKline get less exposure on TV as do Vodafone, and they get less sales.

Well, if the drivers are all criticising Pirelli's performance, and the public are hearing that, the public will also show how they feel next time their cars need new tyres.

Next time I'm due for a tyre change, I'll go to the garage, look at the selection, have a word with the mechanic about what conditions and environment I'll be driving in, and then make a decision based on that.........But I'll also remember Pirelli can't make a tyre that performs how they want it to.

Evaluated over the first 4 races? They shouldn't have to evaluate. They should know how their own product works. They should be able to at least control the behaviour of their product, and yet they can't.

Doesn't sound like a good investment for my own car does it?

 

[Deleted member 90535]

I don't know about you guys, but I for sure don't want to see another 2011 season when guy with the best car is winning. Driver in F1 should be fast, but he should also think about the tactics. If he can't make the tires last than maybe it's his or his cars fault since other teams don't moan about the degradation. For me, 2012 season was so good because FIA made some changes to the regulation which caused the teams to be closer and because Pirelli tires were degrading fast (not like Bridgestones in 2010). I hope that this season will be at least as good as the last one

 

[InsaneOzzie]

Why blame Pirelli in the 1st place, they are only manufacturing what their told too, it's Burnie and the top brass of F1 that are pulling the strings here, lets not forget who actually makes the rules that all the F1 teams and drivers play by.

These same rules govern what Pirelli can bring to the party as well, just look at how F1 has changed over the past 20 years, and also look at next season when all the teams will have to rebuild to suit the new engine configuration of 1.6Ltr 6cyl turbo, and this decision is based on a green environmental economy.....cough cough!.....ridiculous.

What really baffles me with the direction F1 is going is this, I was under the impression that F1 was the pinnacle of world motorsport and the pilots are the worlds best drivers bar-non, so why do they have to pussy around the track in cars that only go ultra fast for 50% of a race, and in qualifying. Where has the true strategy gone, if Vettel and Webber were not pandering to team orders there would of been a race to the flag, not to the last pit stop as it were, but no, they had to conserve there below average racing tyres.

If F1 is the pinnacle shouldn't the teams and drivers be striving to be the best without hindrance from the likes of the F1 board of directors and a bunch of rules that only stifle the sport.
I personally think that the GP2 races are a lot more exiting than F1 at the moment, as are most of the support classes in the F1 circus.

That's my 2 cents worth,
Cheers