Button wants less complex tires
Pirelli allowed the return of spectacle in Formula 1, but the Italian brand also gave some headaches to the teams and drivers throughout the 2012 season. Jenson Button hopes that the 2013 tires will have a wider operating window and will therefore be easier to handle.
Pirelli tires have undoubtedly been at the center of attention this season, especially during the first rounds of the championship. For 2013, the Italian manufacturer will make some modifications to its tires. Jenson Button hopes this will provide more clarity in tire management, which was sometimes puzzling in 2012.
« I think it would be good if the operating window of the tires changed a bit. It would make things more equitable. Like many teams, we’ve had problems getting them to work properly. Some drivers were lucky with tire management at the start of the season, others less so. It’s very difficult to find the right way to make the tires work, and you have to change your car to make them work properly, » explains Button.
Nevertheless, the Englishman acknowledges that the work done by Pirelli has improved the spectacle, highlighting the fact that races where drivers only made one pit stop were not the most exciting of the season: « I think the tire degradation hasn’t been that bad all the time. The new asphalt changed things, it worked in Austin but not in other races that weren’t exciting. I think the FIA and Pirelli want more degradation. »
The 2013 tires, which teams were able to discover at Interlagos during the free practice 1, will not be more durable but should have a wider operating window to allow teams to extract their potential more easily. The results may then be less random, but the on-track spectacle should remain. Verdict in a few months.
