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From GMM
A new row is brewing in F1, as teams contemplate the next change to the specification of Pirelli's 2013 tires.
After the tire-exploding British grand prix, F1's official supplier rushed into service the new kevlar-belted rear tire in Germany.
And Pirelli did intend to debut an all-new tire for Hungary and beyond, combining the 2012 tire construction with the 2013 compounds.
But world champion Sebastian Vettel hinted after winning at the Nurburgring that the tire teams will actually race in Hungary is yet to be completely decided.
Lotus, competitive with the Nurburgring-spec tire, is happy to keep things as they are.
"This was a great race," team owner Gerard Lopez told Finland's Turun Sanomat newspaper, "showing that the tires performed much the same as in the first third of the season.
"If the tires change radically, it really affects the credibility of the sport. At least now, no one can argue that these tires are unsafe," he added.
Sahara Force India, on the other hand, had no problem with the original Pirelli tire, but struggled markedly in Germany with the kevlar construction and the new rules banning rear tire-swapping.
And now, the Silverstone based team is dreading the switch to the 2012 tires.
"If we return to the old carcass," said sporting director Otmar Szafnauer, "we lose our entire advantage about how we use the tires this year. We designed our car specifically for the 2013 tire specification."
He told Auto Motor und Sport that Force India was the first team in 2013 to discover the old trick of rear tire swapping, complaining that other teams triggered the ban by combining the practice with running extreme pressures and cambers.
"We never ran with low pressure or too much camber," Szafnauer rued.
Now, Sahara Force India is hurriedly tweaking its car to see how it works with the 2012 tires, which will be tested for the first time at Silverstone next week.
"I am afraid that these tires will mess up everything," said Otmar Szafnauer.
A new row is brewing in F1, as teams contemplate the next change to the specification of Pirelli's 2013 tires.
After the tire-exploding British grand prix, F1's official supplier rushed into service the new kevlar-belted rear tire in Germany.
And Pirelli did intend to debut an all-new tire for Hungary and beyond, combining the 2012 tire construction with the 2013 compounds.
But world champion Sebastian Vettel hinted after winning at the Nurburgring that the tire teams will actually race in Hungary is yet to be completely decided.
Lotus, competitive with the Nurburgring-spec tire, is happy to keep things as they are.
"This was a great race," team owner Gerard Lopez told Finland's Turun Sanomat newspaper, "showing that the tires performed much the same as in the first third of the season.
"If the tires change radically, it really affects the credibility of the sport. At least now, no one can argue that these tires are unsafe," he added.
Sahara Force India, on the other hand, had no problem with the original Pirelli tire, but struggled markedly in Germany with the kevlar construction and the new rules banning rear tire-swapping.
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| Sahara Force India VJM06. (Photo: WRi2) |
And now, the Silverstone based team is dreading the switch to the 2012 tires.
"If we return to the old carcass," said sporting director Otmar Szafnauer, "we lose our entire advantage about how we use the tires this year. We designed our car specifically for the 2013 tire specification."
He told Auto Motor und Sport that Force India was the first team in 2013 to discover the old trick of rear tire swapping, complaining that other teams triggered the ban by combining the practice with running extreme pressures and cambers.
"We never ran with low pressure or too much camber," Szafnauer rued.
Now, Sahara Force India is hurriedly tweaking its car to see how it works with the 2012 tires, which will be tested for the first time at Silverstone next week.
"I am afraid that these tires will mess up everything," said Otmar Szafnauer.