McLaren-Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton hails Pirelli and DRS for 2011 season – Formula 1 news
McLaren’s Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton has stated that the Pirelli tyres and the Drag Reduction System are two of the best innovations of the 2011 Formula 1 season.
Hamilton added that firstly the teams and the drivers were hesitant of the Pirelli tyres because the Bridgestone tyres had been in the business for many years. However, he said the new fast degrading Pirelli rubber has lived up to the fans expectations.
The Brit further added that the DRS wing makes overtaking easy at times but altogether it is one of the best inventions.
The pre-season testing sessions were very tough on the Pirelli tyres as every driver and team criticised their high degradation rate but as the season unfolded in Australia, the views about Pirelli changed altogether.
Hamilton stated, “I love the new tyres, I think Pirelli have some an amazing job. I wasn't really sure if they were going to be any good because Bridgestone had been in F1 for so long and had so much experience. But Pirelli have come in and straight away
they've lived up to people's expectation, which is pretty impressive.”
The Pirelli tyres alone have made the first eight races of the 2011 Formula 1 season completely different and thrilling as compared to the previous few seasons.
The tyres degrade rapidly which gives drivers less time to extract the full pace of the car. This induces more pit-stops which in turn provides opportunities for more overtaking manoeuvres.
Talking about the DRS wing, Hamilton stated, “KERS we've had before, so the DRS is probably the most unique part of the new rules for this year. It makes it easier to catch people up and then be in a position to overtake.”
He further added that in the previous years, all the overtaking was dependent on the nature of the circuit but in the 2011 Formula 1 season, overtaking is being done on almost every circuit.
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