07/10/2013
NEWS STORY
Pirelli motorsport boss Paul Hembery admits to frustration with teams as criticism continues.
Once again, Pirelli finds itself in the headlines. The headline grabbing images of Sergio Perez' tyre delaminating once again sends out a signal, even though the cause of the damaging flat spot went largely unseen. Coupled to that there has been criticism from the drivers, Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber - whose elimination from the race had nothing to do with tyres - once again giving the Italian manufacturer the sort of publicity it doesn't need, or warrant.
Having uncharacteristically hit back at Alonso's comments, for which he subsequently apologised, Hembery has now turned his attention to the teams, arguing that self interest must be put aside and that they must start to cooperate with Pirelli.
Already frustrated by the attitude of the teams this was compounded at the weekend when a planned test with McLaren ahead of the Grand Prix in Austin was cancelled after the FIA revealed that there had been objections from rival teams.
Up until a couple of years ago tyre tests were the norm, all the teams regularly attending three-day sessions at tracks, often ahead of races, as various new compounds were tried out - along with new components for the cars.
In the interests of rising costs these were scrapped - the money being spent elsewhere - while the tyre supplier, by now Pirelli, was meant to carry out its own tests with an old car and a driver not in a regular race seat.
As if that didn't tie Pirelli's hands, the sport's powers that be insisted on the manufacturer providing tyres that deliberately degraded. The Italian manufacturer was on a hiding to nothing.
"We're running around in a 2010 car, developing tyres for the 2014 car, which nobody really knows what it's going to look like," Hembery told reporters in Korea. "Yet every time we even ask to test with a 2011 car we come up against opposition.
"Going forward, to do what we need to do, we need to have the ability to test and help everybody, drivers and teams," he continued. "Whilst nobody wants to think they're going to get an advantage in testing, you can't carry on going round in circles and decide to do nothing. Something has to change."
For 2014, despite the fact that that the costs of the new formula will already have a huge impact on teams, especially those already struggling financially, in-season testing is introduced, along with the traditional pre-season tests - even if the venue is not as traditional. Nonetheless, in readiness for the new season, which sees one of the biggest changes to the sport's rules in living memory, Hembery is concerned that this isn't enough.
Ideally he would like the company to have its own end of season test at Interlagos - the track surface being ideal for such purposes - or Bahrain before the pre-season tests... but with one proviso.
"Ideally at the end of the season we'd like to see some use of these (2013) cars because they're the best and the quickest we've got at the moment," he admitted. "It would make sense to use them because for the majority of the teams they'll be of little relevance anyway.
"We're still talking about trying to sort testing out and we're in October," he added, the frustration obvious. "I just hope the engine manufacturers have been able to do their work, and as they desire. Otherwise the conversations we'll be having might be with them next year, I hope not, for their sake."
Bahrain, which will host two tests in February, has been chosen because perfect weather is guaranteed, which, of course, beggars the question, when will Pirelli get to try its inters and full wets.
"There are things, as a sport, we need to improve on, which is something that is starting to be recognised," says Hembery "A number of the team principals have said we need to do something differently, and we obviously agree with that.