Alpine Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer has conceded Formula 1 and Pirelli face a "conundrum" in finding a compromise over differing wishes for the sport's tyre compounds. The Italian manufacturer has been in control of F1's tyres since 2011, with the compounds offered changing drastically across its time in charge of the tender. Following the excitement of the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix, where numerous pit stops were needed to complete the race due to high tyre wear, Pirelli was asked to create high-degradation compounds which had a sharp 'cliff' at the end of stints. But in recent times, one-stop races have been much more forthcoming, though high-temperature management is still needed in order to eke stint lengths out. Pirelli is developing new tyre compounds with a view towards banning tyre blankets from next season for sustainability reasons, though the notion has been met with opposition up and down the grid. Addressing the concerns, Szafnauer told media, including RacingNews365.com : "We had a plan: Run the tyres, understand how good they are and once that happens, I'm confident we'll make a good decision. "I think we have a pretty decent show now, there's all sorts of considerations with the tyres. "I know there are other series that don't have tyre blankets but there does come a time where the essence of Formula 1, whatever that is, maybe tyre blankets is a part of it that we should keep."
Contradicting viewpoints
Pirelli includes teams and drivers in the development process for new tyre compounds to try and accommodate all feedback and create the best possible product for F1. On whether there had been calls for tyres with shorter tyre life to increase strategic excitement, Szafnauer said: "That's all been discussed, debated and asked of Pirelli. "There are contradicting viewpoints on that – some want robust tyres that you can push and race all out, and others want some that degrade. "When they degrade, you start tyre-saving and people complain about, 'It's not an all-out race because we are tyre-saving all the time'. "So there is a conundrum of what's better, and sometimes we have it and sometimes we don't. "We saw that the Hard did 58 laps [in Canada]. The tyres have been getting better and you hear less complaints from the drivers as well."
Most read
