Pirelli chief SLAMS Max Verstappen and other F1 drivers over 'easy' Silverstone complaints

Mario Isola with an inset image of Max Verstappen — Photo: © LAT Images

Pirelli

Pirelli chief SLAMS Verstappen and other F1 drivers over 'easy' Silverstone complaints

Some of F1's best were complaining about a lack of grip on the newly-constructed Pirelli tyres

Joe Ellis

Sunday 9 July 2023 12:44

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Pirelli chief Mario Isola has slammed a number of F1 drivers for complaining about the tyres.

The Italian company brought a new construction of tyre to Silverstone with the idea that they would continue for the rest of the season.

That is still the plan even though many drivers, including Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, complained of having little grip during practice on Friday.

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Verstappen even likened it to driving on ice when he tried the hard tyres, which are the C1s for this weekend.

Pirelli altered the construction of the tyres for the British GP and other races beyond that

Isola: Criticism is normal

"I believe that it's quite normal when you are the sole supplier to get some criticism," Isola said, as quoted by Motorsport.com.

"What I always say is that if the criticism is good, or to improve, it's always more than welcome. I understand that drivers sometimes are not happy about the performance or the behaviour of the tyre.

"But sometimes also, there are some strange situations. For example, last year we had the first year with the new cars and the new 18-inch wheels and I remember that all the drivers were happy.

"They said, 'Finally, we don't have overheating, we can attack'. We had a lot of races with a lot of action on track.

"This year, they come back criticising the overheating. We have the same tyres as last year. So I guess how it is possible that there is something else? We are trying to do our best. Criticising the tyre sometimes, it's easy.

"But I listen to the drivers because they are the heroes of our sport, and they must be happy. But it's not always easy to make them happy."