Mercedes engines cause higher tyre degradation – Formula 1 news
McLaren, Mercedes and Force India are using the German company’s engine in the 2012 Formula 1 season which is causing their tyres to wear out very quickly during the races.
Lewis Hamilton of McLaren has said that the teams which include Red Bull Racing, Lotus and Ferrari can make a more profound use of this year’s Pirelli compound tyres which implies that they are struggling with the higher tyre degradation issues.
“Lotus, Red Bull and Ferrari can make a set of tyres last longer than we can,” said Hamilton.
It has been recently reported in Auto Motor und Sport that the Mercedes V8 engine’s mid-range power provides an impressive pace on track but on the cost of increased tyre wear.
Furthermore, Sergio Perez of Sauber said that the Silverstone based team has often given them a tough competition in few races in the season so far but once their tyres start to wear out, they couldn’t maintain their race pace.
“On the way out of corners, we are able to keep up,” said Perez. “But then there comes a phase when the Force India can pull away, so long as their tyres are fresh.”
It is to be noted that Mercedes AMG itself has suffered due to the problem of tyre degradation as their driver, Michael Schumacher could not convert his competitive grid slot into a good race finish in few races due to higher tyre wear out.
In addition, it will be important to mention that the team principal of Mercedes, Ross Brawn said that the degradation of the tyre compound largely depend on the characteristics of the car’s engine.
“Characteristic of the engine has a large influence on the degradation of the tyres,” Brawn said.
Besides, he said that they are trying their best to make the necessary preparations so as to improve their race pace in each and every kind of track.
Over and above, the tyre management has played a very crucial role and has been one of the most important deciding factors in the first half of the season. Let’s see how all the contenders manage their tyres in the upcoming races after the ongoing mid-season
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