F1 pilots in 'heated' meeting with Pirelli this weekend
Jun.20 - Behind the scenes, some Formula 1 drivers got involved in a reportedly "heated" exchange with Pirelli and FIA officials at Paul Ricard.
We reported earlier that the Grand Prix Drivers' Association - representing all the drivers on the grid - boycotted a special meeting requested by Pirelli following the controversial Baku tyre blowouts.
Mario Isola, Pirelli's F1 chief, denied it was a boycott.
"The simplest solution was for us to go to the driver briefing," he insisted.
The Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf cites insiders who claim that during the briefing, "the conversation got heated from time to time".
For instance, seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton reportedly asked FIA technical boss Nikolas Tombazis why Red Bull wasn't penalised for running tyre pressures that were obviously below Pirelli's strict guidelines.
"The answer was short and sweet," claimed the authoritative German publication Auto Motor und Sport. "They couldn't prove any wrongdoing.
"Max Verstappen also got involved and assured his championship opponent that his team had adhered to all of the requirements."
Hamilton, though, hinted that he doesn't believe it.
When asked about Verstappen and Lance Stroll's rear blowouts at Baku, the Mercedes driver told reporters: "More often than not, the tyres are not being run at the pressures that are being asked.
"We didn't have a problem," Hamilton insisted, referring to Mercedes.
"I think Pirelli have done a great job with the tyres this year. They are more robust than before, so I think in this instance, Pirelli is not at fault.
"I was very surprised to see that the FIA had to clarify the rules and guidelines, so you can obviously take from that what you want."
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Snif snif, don`t cry baby Lulu. It will be OK
Regis, a very adult and mature post.
That degree in Sarcasm you got is paying dividends, Im still studying for mine but its good , get plenty of practice here .
Yeah Lulu isn't used to people talking back.hes surrounded by yes men and woman.dont like competition either.no matter what he says bad bad loser
Saw this on another site interesting
Although numbers are confidential, Pirelli is believed to spend around half of its $100m annual F1 budget on title sponsorship and ‘bridge and board’ advertising, with the balance spent on development, manufacture and race operations. That’s $50m for marketing and the same on all the rest…
So 5M a team effectively..
One dnf for max , bound to have cost them 1M id think for repairs and lost prize money
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