13/05/2013
NEWS STORY
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Following a race which witnessed 77 pit stops, a move which saw drivers left as confused as fans, Pirelli has promised to make changes to its compounds.
Yet to secure a renewal to its current contract, the Italian tyre manufacturer must be wondering if it is really worth all the effort, as it continues to make the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Michelin left the sport in the wake of the Indianapolis scandal, while Bridgestone, unhappy with the lack of (tyre) competition grew tired of the cost and lack of positive publicity indeed, any publicity.
Now, despite their best efforts to please the powers that be and provide tyres that deliberately degrade, thereby necessitating more pit stops and an even more strategic approach, Pirelli is finding that it is on a hiding to nothing.
Check virtually any forum or message board this morning and it’s the same thing, fans complaining about the tyres and the artificial 'racing' that is being produced, Lewis Hamilton's claim that he could not drive any slower being one of the most repeated.
In its efforts to improve the situation Pirelli has promised to act, though it is unlikely anything will happen until Silverstone… mostly because the (self-serving) teams need to approve any such move.
Admitting that yesterday's race was unique in terms of the sheer number of pit stops, Pirelli Motorsport boss Paul Hembery blamed the "unique characteristics" of the circuit.
"This is why we saw high levels of degradation, which should not be seen again to this extent for the rest of the year," he claimed.
"Our aim is to have between two and three stops at every race," he admitted, "so it’s clear that four is too many: in fact, it’s only happened once before, in Turkey during our first year in the sport.
"We’ll be looking to make some changes, in time for Silverstone, to make sure that we maintain our target and solve any issues rapidly," he promised.
Later, he told reporters: "I know some of you would like us to do a one stop, where the tyres aren't a factor, and you can go back to processional racing," admitting that this would mainly play out to the benefit of Red Bull.
While much of the blame must lie with the powers that be who insist on tinkering with the sport, attempting to manipulate it in order to produce a 'show', all of us need to think long and hard about what we really do want from the sport. It is pointless to call for change if one doesn’t know what one wants and is therefore never going to be satisfied.
Wasn’t it Lewis’ girlfriend who sang; “be careful what you wish for, as you might just get it?
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