Storm continues to grow over Pirelli tires Pirelli said Tuesday they will introduce new tyres following criticism at the Spanish Grand Prix where drivers had to make four pit stops because the company\'s high-performance tyres were wearing out too quickly.
The tyre manufacturer said in a statement that the new range, to be introduced in time for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal on June 9, combines \"elements from the 2012 and 2013 tyres to have both durability and performance\".
Pirelli\'s motorsport director Paul Hembery said: \"After evaluating data from the first few races this year, we\'ve decided to introduce a further evolution as it became clear at the Spanish Grand Prix that the number of pit stops was too high.
\"The Spanish Grand Prix was won with four pit stops, which has only happened once before in our history. These changes will also mean that the tyres are not worked quite as hard, reducing the number of pit stops.\"
Red Bull team boss Dietrich Mateschitz on Monday launched a scathing attack on the state of the sport, suggesting it was now less about racing but \"tyre management\".
Drivers including Britons Jensen Button and Lewis Hamilton also complained that they were having to take corners slower to avoid wear and tyre on Pirelli\'s soft fast-wearing tyres.
In its statement, Pirelli admitted that \"with limited testing time, it\'s clear now that our original 2013 tyre range was probably too performance-orientated for the current regulations.
\"It\'s worth underlining that the current regulations for winter tests limit the opportunity to test the tyres under the same conditions as the race season because of the lower temperature and restricted time.\"