Pirelli chief gives clarification to Sebastian Vettel regarding issue with the rain tyres
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Sebastian Vettel
Following the rain riddled race in Monaco, Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel slammed Pirelli’s rain tyres. The tyres were deemed too hard for the circuit by the German. Pirelli CEO Mario Isola disagreed with the four-time Formula One world champion.
Vettel took the final point available in Monaco. The German finished at P11 in the Circuit de Monaco but was awarded the final point due to Alpine’s French driver Esteban Ocon’s time penalty.
It was not until 65 minutes post the original start of the race that the cars could run on the track since rain showers were persistent in Monaco throughout the weekend. The race in Monaco began on the blue rain tyre, which Vettel heavily criticised. He outlined the rain tyre as “basically worthless” because it was too arduous for the track.
Pirelli CEO Mario Isola refutes Sebastian Vettel’s claims
Pirelli manufactures the rubber that Vettel is so critical of. Isola, the chief of the tyre company’s sports section, rebutted the F1 driver and discussed what was apparently going on. “The blue tire is different from the Intermediate, but it is not much harder. The tests we did showed that the tires have the same characteristics as last year’s. We also tried to keep the ‘crossover moment’ of the tires the same as last year,” said the Pirelli CEO
The switchover from Full Wet to Intermediate is referred to as the ‘crossover moment’. According to Isola, the transition time at Monaco was subtly different than at other circuits. It is not caused by a faulty tyre or elevated heat, according to Isola.
“It’s mainly because of the asphalt. This is a real street circuit with street asphalt. It is therefore much less rough than asphalt on a race track. Therefore, less grip can be generated by the tires,” concluded Isola.
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Rishika Saha
(445 Articles Published)