Formula 1’s Pirelli: aka “Terrible Tyres” – From the sublime to the ridiculous, Portimao to Barcelona, once again the spotlight is on F1’s tyre supplier.
A once big supporter of Pirelli’s efforts in F1, some of the TJ13 team are now scratching their collective heads in despair.
Last week, Pirelli brought its granite range of tyres, C1-C3 to a cold windy Algarve. The drivers struggled for grip all weekend and complained the tyres were too hard for the circuit conditions.
This week in Barcelona, the tyre compounds are identical, yet now, the drivers a crawling around their out lap in qualifying, to ensure the tyres don’t fall off a performance cliff by the time they reach sector 3 in their hot laps.
Unlike the FIA and uncle Tom Cobly (and his crew), Pirelli appear to be determined not to undermine Mercedes advantage. The German racing prototype is notoriously poor on it’s tyres when the temperatures rise.
This new Pirelli compound appears to have given Mercedes a new found confidence in their grip levels, where in previous years the tyres would have been of concern.
Oh well. I guess you don’t dominate F1 for a decade, unless all the details are taken care of.
P.S. Lawrence is slowly coming to the boil
The Judge, a nom de plume of an experienced F1 journalist and site founder with long-standing sources across the paddock. With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
