New world championship leader Sebastian Vettel says he is confident ahead of the first French Grand Prix in a decade. Having captured the lead in the drivers' title standings by a single point in Canada, the German says his 2018 Ferrari "works wherever we go".
As for the Paul Ricard circuit, he admitted he has "absolutely no idea" what to expect of the returning F1 venue. But Vettel is at least not overly worried about the thinner Pirelli tyres. "We found what made us so uncompetitive in Spain," he said. "The problem was not the new tyre, but how we prepared our car for them. We were wrong. That makes me confident that when we use these stiffer tyres again, we'll know what to do," said Vettel.
Vettel about tyres: "Problems with thinner tyres are solved"
- Published on 21 Jun 2018 14:33
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- By: Danny Sosef
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Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
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Driver profile
- Team Aston Martin
- Points 1,480
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- Country Germany
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- Place of b. Heppenheim, Germany
- Weight 62 kg
- Length 1.75 m
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Replies (3)
Login to replyajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
I thought the tyre change was a super secret conspiracy by Pirelli to favor Mercedes? So that then they can go on to establish a new world order and stuff...
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
If so, it was a very halfhearted attempt, and it seems like Ferrari has been able to sort it out.
f1ski
Posts: 726
it was requested by mercedes as they probably knew that would solve their graining issue. a quote
Pirelli will undertake structural changes to its compounds to avoid blistering at certain tracks following a request from Mercedes.
According to Auto Motor und Sport, the German manufacturer consulted with Pirelli during pre-season testing in Barcelona in order to address the issue of extreme blistering of its tyres.
The Silver Arrows outfit suggested a reduction of the thickness of its rubber on recently resurfaced tracks such as Barcelona, Silverstone and Paul Ricard.
A long time ago when no safety cars were called teams cut their tires to suit their needs