F1 drivers unimpressed with "shocking" wet tyres
Formula 1 drivers have suggested that Pirelli's rain tyres are too hard after struggling in the wet during Italian Grand Prix practice on Friday.

But the Italian company insists their negative views were related to the low-downforce nature of the venue giving them a feeling of less grip.
Several drivers spun on wet or intermediate tyres today, with Kimi Raikkonen and Sergio Perez hitting the barriers.
Speaking to the Red Bull pit wall on team radio, Max Verstappen insisted that that the series of incidents were because the tyres are too hard.
Racing Point's Lance Stroll even called the situation "shocking".
"Yeah, it wasn't great," Stroll told Motorsport.com. "Definitely wasn't very grippy out there. In FP1 it was quite slippery with this year's wets.
"I'm not sure what Pirelli is doing but I recall in 2017 it was definitely much better.
"This year it was a bit shocking how that was."
Stroll's teammate Perez, who also crashed in the wet race in Hockenheim, spun and hit the barrier early in FP1.
"There is no grip with them, they never warm up," the Mexican told Motorsport.com. "It was very, very hard today to warm up the tyre, and then to find any grip was hard.
"Once you lose the rear end it's hard, once you have a bit too much slip on the rear, it just goes.It's pretty difficult. I'll say that the tyres are not the easiest ones."
"I think they are on the hard side, yes," said Renault's Nico Hulkenberg. "Certainly here with the low downforce it is very tricky, and I think there were two or three corners on the track where you just felt no grip, it's easy to lose the car, so I had to be quite cautious and careful there today.
"Maybe they feel a bit stiff, a bit softer wouldn't be bad."
Hulkenberg's team mate Daniel Ricciardo said it was more of an issue on the first lap out of the pits.
Pirelli F1 boss Mario Isola said the drivers were influenced by the low downforce nature of their set-ups in Monza.
"They come from Spa where they had a completely different level of downforce," he said. "So they're used to a level of grip that is much higher than what they have in Monza.
"You can imagine that they started in FP1 with a wet track, a lot less downforce. It is clear that the level of grip is much, much lower."
Isola said that the tyres are not harder than last year's.
Read Also:
"In my opinion the intermediate was working well. I know that some drivers were saying that they felt the intermediate was quite hard. The intermediate is a new compound compared to last year. Last year we had the two different compounds, one softer than the other.
"The compound we have this year was developed to have a wider working range and make it better in cooler conditions like today.
"The compound is similar to what we called the base compound we had last year, in terms of warm-up and working range the tyre is similar to the soft of last year. Hardness is the same or lower."

Alexander Albon, Red Bull Racing RB15
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Sutton Images

Previous article
Leclerc says practice pace not the "real picture"
Next article
Russell critical of "stupid" recovery truck use in Perez crash

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Event | Italian GP |
Author | Adam Cooper |
F1 drivers unimpressed with "shocking" wet tyres
Trending
How Do Drivers Stay Fit For F1 Grand Prix?
Ronnie Peterson and Jochen Rindt Tribute
#ThinkingForward with Juan Pablo Montoya
The themes to watch in F1's Imola return
Three weeks is a long time in Formula 1, but in the reshaped start to the 2021 season the teams head to Imola to pick things up after the frenetic Bahrain opener. Here's what to look out for and the developments to follow at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
The 'new' F1 drivers who need to improve at Imola
After a pandemic-hit winter of seat-swapping, F1 kicked off its season with several new faces in town, other drivers adapting to new environments, and one making a much-anticipated comeback. Ben Anderson looks at who made the most of their opportunity and who needs to try harder…
The delay that quashed Aston Martin’s last F1 venture
Aston Martin’s only previous foray into Formula 1 in the late 1950s was a short-lived and unsuccessful affair. But it could have been so different, says Nigel Roebuck.
Verstappen exclusive: Why lack of titles won't hurt Red Bull's ace
Max Verstappen’s star quality in Formula 1 is clear. Now equipped with a Red Bull car that is, right now, the world title favourite and the experience to support his talent, could 2021 be the Dutchman’s year to topple the dominant force of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes?
Is Formula 1 as good as it has ever been now?
For many, many years Formula 1 has strived to do and to be better on all fronts. With close competition, a growing fanbase, a stable political landscape and rules in place to encourage sustainability, 2021 is on course to provide an unexpected peak
How Williams’ new structure adheres to a growing F1 trend
Williams held out against the tide for many years but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, the age of the owner-manager is long gone
When a journeyman driver's F1 career lasted just 800m
Nikita Mazepin’s Formula 1 debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix lasted mere corners before he wiped himself out in a shunt, but his financial backing affords him a full season. Back in 1993 though, Marco Apicella was an F1 driver for just 800m before a first corner fracas ended his career. Here’s the story of his very short time at motorsport’s pinnacle.
How Raikkonen's rapid rise stalled his teammate's F1 career climb
Kimi Raikkonen's emergence as a Formula 1 star in his rookie campaign remains one of the legendary storylines from 2001, but his exploits had an unwanted impact on his Sauber teammate's own prospects. Twenty years on from his first F1 podium at the Brazilian GP, here's how Nick Heidfeld's career was chilled by the Iceman.