Martin Whitmarsh discards fast wear out accusations of Pirelli tyres – Formula 1 news
McLaren’s team boss Martin Whitmarsh defended Pirelli against the widespread criticism the new lone tyre suppliers of the 2011 Formula 1 season have received on the degradation of their new tyres.
Reports suggest that the new Pirelli tyres degrade very quickly as compared to the 2010 Bridgestones because of which, most of the drivers criticised the new tyre suppliers of the sport. However, Pirelli revealed that the FIA wanted them to create the new
tyre compounds that way as the 2010 Formula 1 season lacked the element and excitement of a ‘pit stop strategy’ as compared to the past couple of seasons.
Martin Whitmarsh believes that the drop off in performance near the pit in laps is exactly what Formula 1 needs at the moment.
“The wear can only be high because the grip when new is high. The drivers and teams should perhaps be more careful in their expressions. It's easy to step into the car and complain, but we want more pit stops and we want cars that at various stages of the
race are fighting with their tyres. That's part of the show,” stated Martin according to the media.
Martin is also the head of Formula One Teams Association and he confirmed that the FIA wanted Pirelli to come up with a more aggressive set of tyres as compared to the Bridgestones of 2010 therefore the teams cannot complain about this matter.
“But now we publicly criticise the degradation of these tyres. The job of tyre supplier is a thankless one, as the higher wear is a feature that was requested to make the show better,” he added.
Before the 2010 Formula 1 season, pit strategies mattered a lot and the teams ran their whole race weekend dependant on their respective pit strategies which made the sport more exciting and technical.
In 2010 on the other hand, it seemed that a pitstop was just a formality and a requirement of the team. Most of the teams ran for just 1-2 pitstop strategies at most of the venues but in 2011, it is expected that the teams will have to opt for at least 2-3
pitstops per race.
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