Bernie Ecclestone has been drawn into the tyre discussion debate which has been the hot topic of late following the Spanish Grand Prix and news that Pirelli will, but now won’t, change its tyres.
The 82-year-old was asked for his opinion on the current tyre situation and admits he asked Pirelli for more pit stops. He also defended the Italian supplier which he says has a ‘difficult’ job creating a tyre which will work under the differing factors each circuit presents.
“I asked Pirelli to make tyres that would not complete 50 percent of a race – meaning we need pit stops,” he told the official F1 website. “And that’s what they did.
“It is very, very difficult to predict and say these tyres will last 15 or 20 percent of the race because each circuit is different, we are facing very different temperatures, the cars are different, and last but not least each driver has a different driving style.”
Ecclestone doesn’t believe things have changed that much from the days when Niki Lauda was driving, but instead of a driver nursing his gearbox or brakes, he is now having to use his brain and look after his tyres.
“In the times when Niki was racing his biggest concern was looking after the gearbox and the brakes – not the tyres,” he explained. “Then we got away from that and the drivers didn’t have to think about anything. Now they have to use their brains and start thinking about how to win races.
“The easiest thing for Pirelli would be to produce tyres that you put on at the first race of the season and take off at the last. That would be easy, easy,” he joked.
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