Pirelli motorsport boss Paul Hembery is sitting on the fence with regards to the debate that Formula 1 in 2017 could be a boring, while pointing out that Pirelli is simply delivering the tyres that have been requested of them by the powers that be in the sport.
During a function in Turin commemorating Pirelli’s 110th year in motorsport, Hembery told media, “You can’t please everyone and you can only go in one of two directions. We did something from the outset which was desired, then there was a decision to go in another direction.”
“We’re just following what the sport asks us. All we ask is that they tell us what they want. There’s no point in complaining that we deliver what we have been asked to deliver.”
“As a sport we’re moving in a different direction, and if it works as people say then we should get good racing.”
“The biggest challenge is if you don’t have downforce, you might not be able to get the tyres working as intended, because we worked to a level of downforce given by the simulation.”
“It is true the mule cars were some way off in terms of performance levels, but we do have the simulation data. That’s the question, how close will the cars be to that data – maybe they will have more and go much quicker.”
The new rules will change the way races are tackled by teams and the Pirelli chief predicts, “We’ll see fewer stops. That comes with less degradation. You come into the pits either because of performance loss or [tyre] wear, and in this case we are reducing both.”
“We’ll see a lot more one-stop races but if we deliver with the aerodynamic package cars that are closer together, and the tyre’s not overheating on the surface, drivers will be able to push and lead to a scenario where overtaking is improved,” explained Hembery.