Pirelli test driver Pedro de la Rosa believes the ‘better’ drivers will be able to adapt best to the change in rubber for the upcoming season.
The Spaniard highlighted Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso as the two most likely to benefit from Pirelli’s return to the sport, although he is certain the change in supplier won’t have a major impact.
“The changes always benefit the better [drivers] and for me, the best drivers are Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso,” he told Marca.
“But again, I do not think that changing tyre brand will be a problem. The drivers are not going to have to adapt their driving style much, like we saw in the post-season tests in Abu Dhabi.”
He mirrored his comments when it came to the teams who are best placed to adapt to the change.
“The strongest teams [will be better placed], no doubt. The tyre is always the most important part of a car because is is the only thing that touches the tarmac. How to design your cars suspension geometry or aerodynamics is always based on the shape of the tyre.
“Therefore the good teams are always going to get more performance out of the tyre because they will understand it beforehand and will build the entire car around it, that is how to do things.”
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