2019 Pirelli tyres "tailor-made for Mercedes" - Marko
Source: Red Bull Content Pool
F1 News
- Jake Williams-Smith
Red Bull motorsport advisor Dr Helmut Marko has hit out at Pirelli after claiming that the Italian manufacturer's 2019 tyres only work for Mercedes.
Tyre warm-up issues have plagued teams so far this season as well as being able to keep the rubber in the optimum operating window during stints.
The reigning champions however look to be the only team on the grid who has mastered the new tyres, with a tread reduction of 0.4mm introduced for 2019 hurting all other teams much more according to Marko.
"It's noticeable that the rule changes and decisions lately have always been good for Mercedes," Marko told Auto Bild.
"For example, Pirelli changed the tyres for 2019 so they do not overheat, but last year only Mercedes had a problem with them.
"Suddenly in 2019 only Mercedes always gets the temperatures in the correct working window. Everyone else not.
"The concepts of all the cars was for less downforce. Only Mercedes built a car with a lot of downforce and traction, and in hindsight that was exactly the way to get the most from these new tyres.
"I cannot prove that Mercedes got data earlier than us, but I cannot rule it out. We at Red Bull will look very closely at the future development of Formula 1 and there will also be discussions with Pirelli."
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