FROM THE ENVIRONMENT TO LE CASTELLET. Some riders accuse Pirelli, Pirelli takes it out on their teams and the teams show that they have respected the rules. Everyone is right, this weekend that introduces the French Grand Prix.
The facts date back to two weeks ago in Azerbaijan: Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Max Verstappen (Red Bull) risk the neck bone for the explosion in the same straight of the left rear tire. Pirelli collects all the elements, examines them in the laboratory and comes to a conclusion: «There is no manufacturing or quality defect. The problem can be related to the conditions of use of the tire ». Red Bull doesn’t like it and replies as follows: “We have always respected the Pirelli parameters and we will continue to follow their recommendations”. Verstappen goes down hard: «Nothing irregular emerged, we respected the limits. Let them look into their own homes instead of making it understood that it is our fault ”.
The exchange of accusations is violent. The leading Dutch driver of the World Championship believes he risked his life for a defect in a tire which, according to Pirelli, did not respect the parameters of use and therefore exploded.
The flaw in the regulation
As often happens, protests in Formula 1 arise when a gray area of the regulation is discovered. “No one has violated the law,” says Mario Isola, head of Pirelli motorsport. The problem, we add, is that the checks on the minimum pressure, the temperature of the tire warmers and the camber angle are done with the cars stationary. From the moment of departure there is no official control anymore. From next year on, every single-seater will be fitted with standard sensors that are the same for all against pressure cunning, but now there is no possibility to investigate. «During the race we found a pressure of over a” psi “below the recommendations (out of a total of 20, ed) – explains Isola -. For this reason we will raise the minimum pressure value at the start and there will be checks even after the finish. Anyway, everything is up to standard: it is in the order of things that a team seeks maximum performance ».
Divided pilots
Vettel, who is Stroll’s teammate, reiterates the concept: «There are guidelines to which we adhere. Safety takes precedence over everything ». But there are those in this story who would like to see clearly (and perhaps take advantage of it). This is the case of Lewis Hamilton, second in the general classification by just four points behind Verstappen: «I would like the controls on how the tires are used to be intensified. Above all, the inflation pressure should be monitored more carefully ».
Before Friday’s free practice, Isola will meet the drivers to clarify their doubts. It will be interesting to see if the FIA circular and the new, more stringent controls will affect the performance of the two top teams, Red Bull which has worked hard on this aspect, and Mercedes, which in the past had tire-related accidents and is now more cautious.