Ferrari defend their private test with Pirelli – Formula 1 news
Ferrari have claimed that their private test with Pirelli cannot be compared to that of Mercedes, as the latter team had conducted the session on the 2013-spec machine, which might give them an advantage.
Responding to the recent controversy, a Ferrari spokesman said, “For a bit more of a year there has been a possibility of performing these so-called 1,000 kms tests that Pirelli does for its own tyre development. For Ferrari it has always been very clear
that these tests could not make use of a 2013 car. In terms of running an old car, the matter is quite irrelevant, because it is totally within the rules.”
The spokesperson added about the test, “This is something that we have never denied; this was very transparent. All the teams have this possibility. The tyres, the specification of the test, is something that Pirelli knows; not us.”
Almost every team participating in the 2013 Formula 1 championship has spoken against the Mercedes-Pirelli test session, but the FIA has not yet taken any action against the German squad.
Before the private session was conducted, Mercedes were unable to manage their tyres well in any race, thus struggled to score solid points with consistency. However, their performance improved in Monaco, where their driver Nico Rosberg simply dominated
the entire weekend.
The veteran German was fastest in all of the practice sessions and then went onto claim pole in the qualifiers. No one was able to stop him from winning the race too, as he was simply too quick. However, he failed to record the fastest lap of the race, which
went to the reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull.
Rival teams believe that Mercedes’ uplift was simply because of the fact that they got better understanding of the tyres after their test in Barcelona otherwise they would have struggled on race day just like they did in the previous rounds of the season.
However, the real picture will be clear in Canada where there will be plenty more opportunities for everyone to overtake. If Mercedes manage to give a tough time to rivals Red Bull, Ferrari and Lotus, they will face even more criticism than they did in Monte
Carlo, where tyre degradation was not a factor.
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