Pirelli under pressure: ''As the only tyre dealer, you can never do it right''

Pirelli under pressure

''As the only tyre dealer you already have a tough fight, because you are under a magnifying glass all the time and you can never really do it right. In addition, the coronavirus hasn't been tested anymore, so you can sometimes settle your score. In addition, you don't know whether the teams themselves have ridden on the tyres for longer than advised'', says Van de Grint to Motorsport.com.

According to Bridgestone's former tyre expert, one shouldn't worry about the softer compounds for the second race at Silverstone. ''It has nothing to do with that, because if it was about wear and tear they would have noticed. Now air just disappeared from the tyre. This could be dirt on the track or the carcass gave out. That's got nothing to do with the tread wear.''

Problems at Mercedes

So with softer tyres it should also be possible to drive at Silverstone, but the question is more what caused the problem. Albert Fabrega found a piece of metal in the kerbs of Maggots and Becketts, which wasn't supposed to be there. Did the dirt from Kimi Raikkonen cause that damage and why was it so much at Mercedes?

''It's mainly to do with the speed and downward pressure at Mercedes. They are one of the few teams that have made a lot of progress in that area and you are going to notice that. However, it is not a direct result of the DAS, as many people think'', concludes Van de Grint.