Mercedes’ powerful engine could be the cause of increased rear-tyre wear for its customers; McLaren, Mercedes and Force India, according to a report in Germany’s Auto und Motor Sport.
It’s believed that the high torque at the mid-range is putting increased power and therefore stress through the rear-tyres, particularly when a driver accelerates out of a medium-speed corner.
This could go some way to explaining why Ferrari, Sauber, Red Bull and Lotus are enjoying longer life in their Pirelli tyres. The former pair are powered by the Ferrari unit, whilst the latter two are powered by Renault – both engines are well-known to offer slightly less power than the Mercedes unit.
A comment made by Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn, in which he said, “the characteristics of the engine have a large influence on the degradation of the tires,” supports the reports findings.
Mercedes have recognised the problem and are believed to be working on a fix, though a trade-off exists between decreased tyre wear through less torque and a higher rate of acceleration to the cars top-speed.
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