Red Bull drivers unhappy with emphasis on tyres
22 March, 2013
Pirelli engineer with F1 tyres at Sepang
Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber could both be accused of losing their grip on Friday after the Red Bull duo launched scathing attacks on what they perceive as tyre wear becoming too dominant a factor in Formula One.
The pair took their customary positions near the front of the pack during the first free practice sessions for the Malaysian Grand Prix but rather than waxing lyrically over a job well done, the drivers took pot shots at this year’s Pirellis.
“The whole category is geared around tyres at the moment,” Webber fumed despite topping the timesheets in the morning session ahead of Kimi Raikkonen’s Lotus.
“Everything is around tyres. Tyres, tyres, tyre, tyres, tyres,” the Australian added, while noting the wet track following a downpour in the second session was “the only conditions the slicks work in”.
The Red Bulls locked up the front row in last week’s season-opener in Melbourne but their one-lap speed was negated by tyre degradation in long runs as Raikkonen took full advantage to romp to victory. (Reuters)
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- Red Bull: The main difference is the tyres
- Pirelli warn drivers not to risk wet tyres
if you have the advantage of illegal flexwings and rear blown diffuser for 3 years you should keep verry quiet!
Lol cry babies for real!! You just won three Constuctors championships in a row…stfu. And it’s not like the previous race was 5 stops or something, 3 stops has occurred in F1 forever.
Same tripe as last season. The tyre lottery will dominate the first third of the season and there will be “surprise” winners. By then the teams will have the 2014 disinte-Pirellis sussed and the customary cream will rise to the top. Paul Hambery’s throw-away line is to ask, “Do you want to go back to boring races?” Listen, Paul, and listen well. When that one driver climbs to the top step of the podium, what we want is to know it was his superior car or his superior driving skill put him there, not the rabbit’s foot in his pocket. If that means boring racing, then so be it. You’ve spent more than a year now weeing in our earhole and telling us it was raining, but we’re having none of it. F1 as is is a sham, and Pirelli is the Sham-er-in-Chief. So shut your pie hole, put the lads back on tyres they well and truly can race on, and let them have at it.
The tires are the same for every team unlike in the past a certain team used to get a one off tire every race, cough Ferrari cough, so Redbull can shut their traps.
The tires are what the FIA asked for. Can you imagine how 90% of these teams and drivers would act if they had to drive on the tires from the 50′s, 60′s or even the 70′s?
Tires are a apart of racing and if you go out and burn up your tires that is your problem, learn how to drive fast and take care of your tires.
This garbage that some drivers a fans want a tire that will last the entire race is bull crap. F1 had that and it resulted in boring racing of follow the leader.
I hope Kimi and Lotus kick all their rear ends this year.
yea, i agree tyres is going crazy at the moment! i think tyres should be fitted randomly by a common tyre team which only does tyres! if you happen to get a 2wet+2dry then you just have to race it.
Aaah the RedBull-Babies are crying.. how sad xD
Meehhhh mamaaa my tires degrade faster then the others and now we can not win with two fingers in our noses… Weehhhh sod-sod.
It is nothing new, and it is the same for everybody..
Also it has been for ever that tires are a very important factor in F1-racing, but now they have the degradation issues they are crying..
If F1 had a price for cry-babies it would go to the pamper-boys of RedBull.. geezzz