Tyre changes to be less dramatic than feared

Changes to the Formula One tyres due to be introduced next month will be less dramatic than some have feared or hoped for, supplier Pirelli said yesterday.

Motorsport director Paul Hembery told Reuters that the Italian company would find a solution that all teams could agree on without the outcome having a major impact on the championship.

He said the aim was “to make the changes that you have to make with minimal disturbance to the sporting equity.

“What we’re trying to do is find the mid ground and that’s where we’re at. The changes required would appear less than first envisaged.”

Pirelli said last week, after a Spanish Grand Prix crammed with pitstops and some eye-catching tyre failures in practice, that they would change the structure and compounds of their tyres from the Canadian Grand Prix – round seven of 19 – in Montreal on June 9.

The move drew criticism from Lotus and Ferrari, the two teams who have most to lose from any changes after adapting their cars to the 2013 tyres more successfully than others including champions Red Bull.

While Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso won with four pitstops in Barcelona, so too did Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel in 2011 without any furore.

The total number of pitstops was also comparable in the two races.

The winning time in Spain was just over seven seconds slower this year than in 2012 but the fastest lap in qualifying was nearly a second quicker.

The Spaniard’s win allowed him to cut the gap on Vettel in the championship standings. The world champion is four points clear of Kimi Raikkonen, of Lotus, with Alonso third, 17 behind the German.

The sporting regulations state that tyre specifications cannot be changed during a championship without the agreement of all competing teams, unless it is for safety reasons.

That would cover certain structural changes, with Pirelli eager to rectify a situation where treads on rear tyres have been peeling off without the tyre itself deflating when penetrated by debris.

Hembery said Pirelli were confident they could keep close to the 2013 specification while rectifying the tread problem.