Red Bull driver, Mark Webber, met with the press on Thursday morning in a press conference held by the team’s title sponsor, Infiniti, to talk about the infamous Pirelli//Mercedes tire test as well as the upcoming race in Montreal.
“The Pirelli tires will be a big factor here [in Montreal],” said Webber.
“We’re kind of tired of always taking about the tires, but that’s the way it is.
“However, we (Formula 1) are at the top end of the sport, and the way tires behave now is not exactly the way they should.”
The nine-time Grand Prix winner also spoke about the challenges of racing on the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit.
“We need to find a good compromise between top speed and traction in the chicanes.
“It’s a delicate balancing act (as) you cannot be perfect in every aspect (because) even if there are long straights and two DRS zones, passing is not super easy.
The weather for this weekend’s race is forecast as showers on Friday for the first two practice sessions.
As a result, there is a good chance that the teams’ test programmes will be affected, especially with the new Pirelli medium prototype tires, which will be evaluated tomorrow.
“The plan is to test them tomorrow, if we have the opportunity to [test them],” said Webber.
“We and Pirelli need to collect some data about these experimental tires.
“It’s on our schedule and if the track is dry at any moment, we’ll put these tires on the cars.
“However, if we cannot test them at all tomorrow, I don’t know if Pirelli will bring them (the tires) to race at Silverstone. You’d need to ask them,” he concluded.
“The Pirelli tires will be a big factor here [in Montreal],” said Webber.
“We’re kind of tired of always taking about the tires, but that’s the way it is.
“However, we (Formula 1) are at the top end of the sport, and the way tires behave now is not exactly the way they should.”
The nine-time Grand Prix winner also spoke about the challenges of racing on the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit.
“We need to find a good compromise between top speed and traction in the chicanes.
“It’s a delicate balancing act (as) you cannot be perfect in every aspect (because) even if there are long straights and two DRS zones, passing is not super easy.
The weather for this weekend’s race is forecast as showers on Friday for the first two practice sessions.
As a result, there is a good chance that the teams’ test programmes will be affected, especially with the new Pirelli medium prototype tires, which will be evaluated tomorrow.
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| The Pirelli medium tire prototype. (Photo: René Fagnan/Auto123.com) |
“The plan is to test them tomorrow, if we have the opportunity to [test them],” said Webber.
“We and Pirelli need to collect some data about these experimental tires.
“It’s on our schedule and if the track is dry at any moment, we’ll put these tires on the cars.
“However, if we cannot test them at all tomorrow, I don’t know if Pirelli will bring them (the tires) to race at Silverstone. You’d need to ask them,” he concluded.