Grosjean hits out at 'unsuited' tyres for 2014 cars

Romain Grosjean hit out at Pirelli's "wooden tyres" after practice in Monaco. In fact, this weekend on the Principality's streets, the 2014 'super soft' compound is making its debut, alongside the next-softest tyre in the range, the 'soft'.

But the track action was scarce on Thursday, mainly due to the initially damp track in the second session amid a forecast of dry weather for the rest of the weekend. "It's a shame for the fans," said Nico Hulkenberg, "but that's formula one. It would have been too risky, because some teams don't have many spare parts," he told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

Also getting the finger of blame was Pirelli, who according to Lotus driver Grosjean have supplied tyres that are unsuited to the "tricky" 2014 cars around the barrier-lined Monaco layout. "Today, the biggest problem is these wooden tyres," he smiled to France's RMC.

"Seriously, they do not work very well here. These cars are pretty tricky but they're sliding a lot and not going very fast around the corners," Grosjean added. "It is making it even more difficult than in the past, so you really need to concentrate on not making mistakes. You're driving at 98 per cent and not pushing to 102 per cent to avoid a mistake," he said.

Championship leader Mercedes' team boss Toto Wolff defended the F1 'show' of Thursday, insisting it is premature to describe this year's spectacle as boring. "We need to be careful not to go from depression to manic and back into depression," he said. "Yes, we've had a boring session but does it mean that formula one is boring? I heard different comments after Bahrain so I think you need to look at the whole." (GMM)

Replies (0)

Login to reply

AZ Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Local time 

AZAzerbaijan Grand Prix

Local time 

Test calendar

See full test schedule

World Championship standings 2026

Show full world champion standings

Related news

Give your opinion!

Will Bottas challenge Hamilton for the world championship in 2020?

Formula 1 Calendar - 2026

Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
6 - Mar 8
Australia
13 - Mar 15
China
27 - Mar 29
Japan
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
1 - May 3
United States of America
22 - May 24
Canada
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
12 - Jun 14
Spain
See full schedule

Formula 1 Calendar - 2026

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
10 - Apr 12
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
5 - Jun 7
Monaco Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
See full schedule

Driver profile

  • Team -
  • Points -
  • Podiums -
  • Grand Prix -
  • Country FR
  • Date of b. Apr 17 1986 (39)
  • Place of b. Geneve, FR
  • Weight 71 kg
  • Length 1.8 m
Show full profile

Team profile

  • Team name Pirelli
  • Base Milan, Italy
Show full profile
show sidebar