Pirelli Motorsport boss Mario Isola has told Formula 1 teams that they need to lighten up on the criticism of the tires being used in the series this year. Scuderia Ferrari seem to have a strong package but the Maranello team has failed to successfully challenge Mercedes in the start of the 2019 Formula One season due to not getting its tyres working properly at certain stages of qualifying of the race.
Struggling to get the new tires in a narrow operating window in the races, Haas F1 Team boss Guenther Steiner says the team has one of the best cars in the midfield, but Steiner added: “Only Williams is worse than us in the race.”
Pirelli’s F1 boss Isola, meanwhile, says the new tires were designed to deal with the overheating and blistering of the past. As for the teams’ problems this season, Mario Isola told German media outlet Auto Motor und Sport: “I think it’s several things. Many teams developed their cars to handle the tires more carefully, together with our efforts to reduce the risk of overheating. On the other hand, the situation is not so bad. In Baku (at the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix), the temperatures in qualifying were extremely low and the lap times were still very fast. So you can’t say that the tires do not produce any grip.” – he explained.
Mario Isola also denied that the operating window, or peak lifespan, of the tires is now too small: “No, we are always working to enlarge the operating window,” said Isola. “I do not think these tires work in a narrower range than last year’s. The window has shifted only slightly. We are also being more conservative with our selection of compounds in order to allow the drivers to push harder in the race. There are now a few more problems with the warmup, and the first lap out of the pits may be a bit difficult, but then the tires work well. If you look at the data, you will not see any signs that something is wrong.” – he added.
As for why teams like Scuderia Ferrari and Haas are struggling so significantly, Mario Isola answered: “The tires are still quite new for everyone. That’s why it’s normal for some teams to have more problems than others. We have to adapt our product every year because the cars change every year, but during the season, everyone learns. That’s why the differences are a little bigger now than they will be at the end of the year.” – Pirelli’s motorsport boss concluded.
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