F1 tyre wear Ecclestone’s wish, says Pirelli
Pirelli has responded to Formula One fans’ criticism of the perceived poor performance, and specifically the rapid wear of the Italian manufacturer’s F1 tyres. In a video interview, Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery shared that a short-lived tyre was part of the ‘brief’ the tyre maker received from Formula One empresario Bernie Ecclestone.
“Well, Bernie was really the driver there, and I can’t really use his precise words,” Hembery explained. “But he just said, ‘could you make things very interesting, very exciting – and make tyres that don’t last.’” The reason behind this unorthodox request, the motorsport director continued, was to add a little pep to proceedings. Hembery quoted Ecclestone as saying: “We need excitement, we need something a bit more animated, and you can do something with the tyres that can add to the show. So, please throw out the rulebook, do what you normally wouldn’t do and try and bring this new approach to racing.”
Although designing a tyre with a useful life of around 50 kilometres went against standard practice at Pirelli, Hembery commented that the Italian tyre maker was pleased to oblige the F1 boss – and is satisfied its tyres have fulfilled all of Ecclestone’s expectations.
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