Following the usage of the Excessive full moist tyres throughout the Sao Paulo GP weekend, a number of F1 drivers voiced their opinions on the Pirelli tyres, however the verdict got here again ambivalent.
After having endured its first main moist climate weekend in Sao Paulo the place the situations required the usage of Excessive full moist tyres, F1 drivers expressed their opinion on racing within the moist with the Pirelli tyres. Whereas F1 drivers go for Intermediate tyres extra usually, full wets had been vital as situations in Brazil went from dangerous to treacherous.
Downpour in each the Bahrain GP in Malaysia and the Singapore Dash day got here with technical points for the 2026 vehicles which proved to be an even bigger check than the Pirelli tyres themselves. The fast drying observe additionally allowed for the usage of Intermediate tyres moderately than Excessive full moist tyres. This time round, no such luxurious was supplied, and the total wets had for use.
The rain was already pouring forward of the Sao Paulo GP, inflicting the race to be delayed. After a little bit of a delay, the drivers had been able to tackle Interlagos within the moist.
Moist climate tyres nonetheless ‘not adequate’
Talking on the usage of the moist climate situations Pirelli tyres after the Sao Paulo weekend, the F1 drivers discovered that racing within the moist remained tough with the present tyres.
“It has been considerably higher than all of us anticipated,” George Russell informed media.
“I feel it’s also necessary to grasp that the three tracks we’ve pushed on have been very tough tarmac, and Malaysia and the Singapore Dash had been nonetheless scorching, even within the rain. In [Sao Paulo qualifying], although it was raining, the observe was 30 levels, however possibly, within the 15 levels of Spa, we’re giving completely different suggestions.”
Regardless of Russell’s constructive view on the tyres, Williams’ Carlos Sainz disagreed along with his verdict. The Spaniard discovered there to nonetheless be improvement “lacking” on the tyres and urged Pirelli to enhance the design.
“Not adequate,” Sainz started when requested for his opinion on the Moist and the Intermediate tyres.
“I feel the extent of the inter and the moist tyre shouldn’t be adequate, and we have to work with Pirelli on discovering a greater tyre, as a result of within the combined situations, the inter remains to be a really weak tyre on the rear.
“By the point it warms up, the entrance is gone, and for the acute wets, [in qualifying] we had a lot aquaplaning and an enormous lack of rear grip. So it’s nonetheless lacking a little bit of improvement on these two tyres.”
‘We do must make a greater moist tyre‘
For a very long time, F1 and Pirelli have struggled to discover a appropriate tyre design for wet-weather situations. It received to the purpose the place it was simpler to attend for the heavy rain to cease utterly than to exit on full wets due to the poor design.
Discovering a design that permits wet-weather racing whereas prioritising security stays a tough space of improvement. Nonetheless, the present tyres are sadly not deemed adequate to satisfy the drivers’ requirements. Sainz’s Williams teammate Alex Albon agreed along with his evaluation of the tyres.
“I feel the inter and the moist tyre isn’t working very nicely in the meanwhile,” Albon stated, “I don’t assume it’s the vehicles; it’s the tyres, and we have to determine it out as a result of the laps to the grid [prior to the São Paulo GP] had been insane, actually insane.
“I couldn’t consider how little grip there was, after which the moist tyre overheats instantly, so we do must make a greater moist tyre for subsequent yr.
“What we’ve accomplished with the facility discount and all that form of stuff, we form of want on the minute, and possibly if we had grippier inter and moist tyres, we’d be capable of run at 350kw, however it’s sketchy. It’s troublesome to fireside the tyres up, however additionally they put on fairly shortly, so even when they’re chilly, they’re sporting.
“It appears like they by no means overheat or rise up to temperature, after which by the point you’re circulating, the tread is already coming off the tyre, and then you definately’re struggling.
“You’re sliding round, so that you by no means really feel good at any level, and really feel that we are able to come to life.”
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