Lotus still unhappy with “conservative” tyre choices

2013 F1 season

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Lotus have repeated their criticism of Pirelli’s tyre choices for the upcoming races.

Pirelli has selected the hard and medium tyre compounds for the Hungarian Grand Prix, a race where the super-soft and soft rubber was used two years ago.

Lotus’s trackside operations director Alan Permane said the selection “certainly seem conservative and contrary to the supposed approach for the tyre allocations in 2013”.

“The individual compounds – supersoft, soft, medium and hard – were made softer for each grade this year in order to present teams with a challenge, which is what we saw at some races earlier in the season. That work is undone if you simply allocate harder compounds for races, as we’ve seen with those nominated for the next three rounds.

“It’s certainly unusual to take the same tyres to Hungary as to Bahrain and Silverstone. The situation is quite similar to last year when the allocations went harder late in the year and we just ended up doing one-stop races.”

Rival team Red Bull had called on Pirelli to produce harder tyres to meet the original target of fewer than four pit stops per race, as was been in Barcelona.

“Of course, there are teams who are eager for the tyres to be more durable; whether through changes to the tyres themselves or changes to the allocations for races,” said Permane.

“In contrast, we’re firmly in the camp that the approach to tyre allocation should remain as agreed by the sport before the start of the season, and not be changed part-way through the year.”

Team principal Eric Boullier said Pirelli should be prepared to change the allocation based on how the next races unfold:

“We trust Pirelli’s judgement in these matters as they have all the data to analyse and listen to the concerns of all the teams; some of whom are very keen to see the tyres changed, some of whom are very keen to have the tyres left as they are.

“Let’s see what happens in the next three races for which the allocations have been made and see how that impacts on future allocations.”

2013 F1 season


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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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15 comments on “Lotus still unhappy with “conservative” tyre choices”

  1. While i agree with them, they also should start addressing their ridicule tyre warming issues that emerged since 2012…..

    The car is restricted with circuit like fast corner and sunny weather. They are doomed when races are wet or stop and go circuit.

    They need to make the car more versatile by any means, more downforce, stiffer suspension setting etc.

    1. They made a car that would face well the most common weather and track conditions and tyre allocations, suddenly Pirelli changes their strategy because if they can’t change the tyres to suit the big teams and more importantly publicity, Pirelli changes the allocation for super hard compounds in effect having a constant loop-hole on how to affect the tyre balance along the year.

  2. So when the tyres suited their car: “Nobody should complain, the tyres are the same for everyone”
    And now what?

    1. they have the same problem as last year, you don’t hear them complaint much in 2012 ain’t you??

      It’s not like they are the one that started to complaint this year.

  3. Of course they are unhappy they have had good events(I can’t bring myself to call them races) with the self destructing tyres. The thought of having to race against the top teams and their annoyingly aggressive drivers ,especially for more than one lap, must make them really hipped, Shame !

    1. because only two teams unhappy with it and suffered badly you are unable to call them races??

      what a joke.

    2. you can’t call them races because lewis was suffering.

      now you can call them races when team like Lotus couldn’t even get heat into low grip cool track.

      typical double standard.

      1. You guys don’t seem to understand that f1 should be about the drivers ability to overcome the shortcomings of the car and prove his daring and courage to overcome more sedentary rivals. Kimi got nowhere in WRC because he lacked the final commitment needed to drive at 10 /10 th’s

        1. you can tell lewis that when he whines about high degradation of tire.

          maybe he lacks final commitment too.

          what a load of BS.

        2. kimi got nowhere in WRC???

          did you actually followed WRC during that periods??

          Sebastien Loeb claimed kimi was as fast as him but lacking experience on pace note. He took parts in only handy of stages but still finished top10 overall out of 3x contestant.

  4. This is why I think each team should be able to pick its own compounds rather than everyone having to use what Pirelli think is best.

    If Lotus think the softer compounds suit them best, They could pick them while those who prefer the harder compounds could go that way. Would prevent teams (Or drivers) been crippled just because there forced to use a certain compound.

    Although I still think the best solution is what we had before refueling was introduced. No mandatory stops, Every dry compound brought to every race, Teams/driver have full freedom on strategy.
    If they want to no-stop allow them to, If they want 1 or more stops then let them.
    If a driver wants to push flat out on a softer compound planning a stop or more give them that option, While if they want to go no-stop with the need to conserve tyres for a period then give them this option as well.

    This is why I think the argument that tyre management is no different to the past this year is wrong. In the past teams/drivers had options on how they ran there races, They didn’t have to manage tyres if they didn’t want to.
    Now because they have no choice regarding compounds & have to stop to run each compound & because every compound suffers from degredation nobody has any real options on how they run there races anymore, There forced into whatever strategy the Pirelli compound choices dictate.

    1. Well said that man.

  5. With all due respect, the tyre allocation system is just awful. I’ve said this a few times last year and during pre-season testing, but no-one seems to pick up on this: if you decide which tyres you are going to use for the next race based on previous race experiences, then you just have to kneel and pray no teams are going to complain. Pirelli is allocating more durable tyres based on GPs like for instance the Spanish GP, which is not fair at all for the teams that have proven to work with less durable tyres (like Lotus). I just really, REALLY don’t understand why Pirelli doesn’t announce the tyre allocations for the entire season directly after the final pre-season test: it would avoid bad publicity like this in a very simple way.

    As a side note: the Pirelli colour scheme isn’t helping them either. Pirelli’s idea behind the red, orange, yellow whatever tyres was for the people to understand exactly which compound was on the car at what time. Because we as the viewers now have access to this information, we want to know more about it, and thus there is more media coverage on which tyres are used when. If Pirelli just make the same compounds they currently make and bring two of them to the tracks, they can also be distinguished by adding a white rim (or whatever) to the softer compound. That way, people still know which tyre is the soft one – which is basically where the interest of 95% of the F1 fans stops. Or alternatively, let the teams pick their own compounds – would solve a lot of problems.

    Pirelli are getting a lot of bad publicity this year and to be honest, all of it can be retraced to decisions Pirelli made themselves (lots of advertising, allocation system, high-deg tyres – though that’s also partly the FIA’s decision I believe). I just want Pirelli to adopt Bridgestone’s more quiet attitude and everything will just work out fine. After all, we do need a tyre supplier for 2014.

    1. Pirelli is allocating more durable tyres

      “More durable” compared to what? The tyres allocated this year have been either softer or, in a few cases, the same hardness as those used last year. None of them are actually “more durable”. Even the supposedly “more durable” tyres allocated for Hungary are the same hardness as those used last season. It can’t really be the case that the tyres must get softer each successive season for perpetuity.

      I just really, REALLY don’t understand why Pirelli doesn’t announce the tyre allocations for the entire season directly after the final pre-season test

      Because they don’t know at that point how the tyres will actually work under race conditions.

      let the teams pick their own compounds – would solve a lot of problems.

      I’d love to see it happen, but it never will. And neither the FIA nor Lotus would like that solution.

  6. Seems like Horner et al got what they wanted by whining all the time. Well I guess it’s more to hide the failure of Pirelli’s tyres, but still. it looks bad.

    It’s ridiculous how these tyres ruin F1. Like a damn lottery. Not just during the race but now even which tyres they will be bringing to the races.

    Lotus built a car that deals well with the tyres even though they disintegrate faster than naked eye can follow. Now they are rewarded by Pirelli tyring to make up for the low quality tyres and using harder compounds than they normally would have. That must be depressing.

    Lotus at least have a right to complain since they are facing moving goalposts.

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