F1 veterans Alonso, Hamilton slam Pirelli wet tyres
Nov.4 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has joined fellow Formula 1 veteran Lewis Hamilton in his criticism of the wet-weather tyres supplied by Pirelli.
Seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton gatecrashed a live interview in the sodden Interlagos pitlane with Stefano Domenicali as the F1 CEO explained why qualifying had to be delayed for safety reasons.
A smiling Hamilton intervened and told the Italian: “You should have sent us out! This is ridiculous. I want to get out!
“If you give us better wet tyres and blankets we would be able to run in this. I’m putting you on the spot,” the Mercedes driver laughed again.
Even on Sunday for the still-wet Brazilian GP, the race became a festival of spins and crashes. Lance Stroll even crashed out on the formation lap, while the decisive red flag waved later on when Franco Colapinto crashed during a safety car period.
“They weren’t ideal,” said 43-year-old Alonso when asked about the conditions in the race. “But then again, we don’t have the tyres suitable for the top category of the sport either.
“When it rains a bit we always have aquaplaning and accidents,” the Aston Martin driver added. “I think even Franco behind the safety car. Sometimes you can’t even keep up with the safety car,” the Spaniard insisted.
“We need to improve that.”
Responding to the complaints, Pirelli’s F1 boss Mario Isola pointed out that the rain during the Brazilian GP weekend “varied in intensity” from mild to extreme, whilst also pointing the finger at the new track surface.
“The grip levels in the wet were very limited, partly due to the oily layer that it created,” said the Italian. “All things considered, I believe both (wet) tyres proved to be up to the job in hand.”
However, Isola also admitted that Pirelli can certainly “improve the wet tyres” for the future.
“That’s the goal,” he said. “For next season, we’ve made some improvements but unfortunately, we haven’t had the opportunity to do proper testing on a track that’s very demanding on the tyres.
“But we’ve changed the tread pattern a little bit, worked on the construction and the compound. We’ve made progress, but I can’t say whether it’s enough or not,” Isola admitted.
“If we are talking only about the lack of performance of rain tyres, it only means that the cars should go slower. We realise that we need to improve the performance, but that doesn’t mean that our rain tyres cannot be driven.”
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