F1 News
Date: 26/July/2013
Anyone hoping that the revised Pirelli tyre specification would
shake up the F1 order was left sorely disappointed after Friday practice in
Hungary.
The new tyres, making their competitive debut this weekend,
feature last year’s construction, combined with this year’s rubber compounds.
The change was made on safety grounds, following a series of spectacular tyre
failures during the British Grand Prix.
Day one of the Hungary Grand Prix saw few surprises with triple
World Champion and 2013 points’ leader Sebastian Vettel fastest from Red Bull
team-mate Mark Webber in both practice sessions.
Lotus driver Romain Grosjean made a promising start in
third, followed by the Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa.
“I don’t think the tyres feel massively different, but they
are a step in the right direction,” said Vettel. “The car feels okay, but
there’s always a lot of work to do and there’s some room for improvement.”
“The tyres feel quite similar to those used previously; we
got a feeling already from Silverstone,” confirmed Webber, referring to a recent
test session held to gather data on
the new tyres.
One team which didn’t get to try the revised tyres at
Silverstone was Mercedes, which was banned from taking part as punishment for a
tyre test - subsequently deemed illegal - after the Spanish Grand Prix.
Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were sixth
and seventh quickest in practice, 0.5s and 0.7s respectively behind Vettel.
“We came into the weekend on the back foot a little without
experiencing the new tyres,” admitted Hamilton. “The balance feels different
and we need to work on the right set-up but we learned over the course of the
day, made some changes and will make more for tomorrow.”
Vettel currently leads the Championship by 34 points from
nearest rival Alonso and is thus guaranteed to go in to the summer break, which
follows Sunday’s race, holding the title advantage.
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