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[darwin dali]

Throughout the first decade of the 2000s, people moaned in a massive way that the races were processional. They're not now

Christ.....

Throwing random banana peels onto a racetrack would also make for non processional racing. There's a point where the level of artificiality leaves a bad taste yes?

Water sprinklers to boot...

[What's Burning?]

I'd rather see a procession.

finish the sentence ...of cars going all out and when they do pass it meant they fought for it and earned it.

Maybe Lew, it's just a case of you don't know how good a lover you had until they dumped you.

[spankyham]

As I mentioned earlier, I believe he has a point.

 wrote:">Changes to the tyres would be unfair - Lotus

Lotus team principal Eric Boullier says there is nothing wrong with the current Pirelli tyres and it would be unfair to start making changes to the compounds midway through the season.

Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen is second in the drivers' championship after enjoying success at the opening races in a car that is not as fast as its rivals but is easier on its tyres. At the Spanish Grand Prix he finished second after making one less pit stop than the other cars in the top five positions and it was a similar story when he won the opening round of the season in Australia.



However, pressure is growing on Pirelli to tweak its tyres amid complaints from the likes of Red Bull and the Italian tyre manufacturer is weighing up possible changes at the British Grand Prix.

"In some ways it's not fair, but we have to deal with it," Boullier said. "Everybody has the same tyres.

"The question is not the tyres. If our car can do it [three pit stops], it is because we did something to allow our car to do it."

He pointed out that the hard compound was already tweaked ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix to satisfy Lotus' rivals.

"It's the same tyres for everybody. There was some slight change here that was supposed to please the complaining teams. I don't think Pirelli is going to change anything. They were asked to bring tyres that last 20 laps and they did it."

[1Lemon]

Pirelli are actually doing a fantastic job. Doing exactly what they've been paid to do by a client, they are a very competent company. The problem lies with the FIA, they're the ones changing the tyres mid-season, which is really stupid. Keep with what we have, and change it next year, hell enough stuff is being changed next year anyway.

[What's Burning?]

Apparently Eric Boullier isn't getting his wish.

ESPNF1reports; Paul Hembery says Pirelli will make "some structural changes" to the tyres in time for the Canadian Grand Prix in order to bring races back to two or three stop strategies.

The decision comes after the hardest two compounds delivered a four-stop race in Barcelona on Sunday. Following a Pirelli meeting on Monday, Hembery tweeted the new tyres would also combine "elements [of] 2012 and 2013 products", and that the "changes made in interests of sport".

Speaking exclusively to ESPN after the race, Hembery explained just how Pirelli had ended up getting the tyre compounds wrong and said there were a number of options available which it would consider next.

"We're looking at compounds and structure, and the idea is obviously to get back to our two/three stop strategies," Hembery said. "What you've got at the moment is a combination of the cars are really going hard - much harder than we had anticipated, big steps forward in performance - together with a structure that pushes very heavily the compounds. It's a very aggressive structure in the corners and you're pushing the compounds beyond the limits.

"Now the question is are you able to - in a short space of time - change the compounds and provide the desired result? Bearing in mind we have such limited access to cars and testing… Equally, can you modify the structure so that it is less aggressive to the compounds, or go back to say last year's structure with this year's compounds which is somewhere in the middle. It's a difficult thing to get right.

"Four stops wasn't something that we want; we don't like it. It's not dramatic, I mean we've had an interesting race and for many years Barcelona has been the most boring race on the calendar. To have a Ferrari with Alonso winning his home event doesn't make it such a bad weekend overall, but if that were to continue then I think that would be wrong."

Asked by ESPN if he felt changes would be unfair on some teams, Hembery replied: "Well, we're never going to get them all to agree."

And no... Pirelli were paid to get it right, they took the job and this year screwed the pooch pushing their nose a bit too far and we're seeing the farcical results of a failed experiment. This is as close to an apology as we're going to get.

[1Lemon]

From the beeb

Ecclestone said in Spain: "The tyres are wrong, not what we intended when we asked Pirelli to produce something which did half a race."

BullS**t

[spankyham]

Remember, I've been against these disintegrating tires from day one ..... however, is this sudden "rage-against-the-wheel" an epiphany for some of the media and teams or simply sour grapes.

Some facts and comparisons from Barcelona over the past few years

In 2011 Vettel won with 4 pit stops

2009 Pole: 1:20.527 Race: 1:37:19.202
2010 Pole: 1:19.995 Race: 1:35:44.101
2011 Pole: 1:20.981 Race: 1:39:03.301
2012 Pole: 1:22.285 Race: 1:39:09.145
2013 Pole: 1:20.718 Race: 1:39:16.596

2009: 1 4-stopper
2010: 0 4-stopper
2011: 7 4-stopper
2012: 3 4-stopper

2009: 32 pit stops
2010: 28 pit stops
2011: 77 pit stops
2012: 67 pit stops
2013: 77 to 82 pit stops depending on who you listen to

2009: Fastest Lap 1:22.762
2010: Fastest Lap 1:24.357
2011: Fastest Lap 1:26.727
2012: Fastest Lap 1:26.250
2013: Fastest Lap 1:26.217

[What's Burning?]

And so as the media built it upeth, so shall the media tear it downeth.

I don't think that Lotus went out and specifically built a car that would be fantastic with the tires, they just happen to hit on a design that benefits most from the existing tires. Manufacturers go out and build the fasted car they can. In this case, the tires caught a lot of them on their back foot. But you're crazy if you think that they specifically tested and built a car around something that was unforeseen even by Pirelli. Sometimes in life it's better to be lucky than good.

[spankyham]

And so as the media built it upeth, so shall the media tear it downeth.

I don't think that Lotus went out and specifically built a car that would be fantastic with the tires, they just happen to hit on a design that benefits most from the existing tires. Manufacturers go out and build the fasted car they can. In this case, the tires caught a lot of them on their back foot. But you're crazy if you think that they specifically tested and built a car around something that was unforeseen even by Pirelli. Sometimes in life it's better to be lucky than good.

Indeed, just ask Alfred Nobel about the sawdust on his floor

[1Lemon]

Remember, I've been against these disintegrating tires from day one ..... however, is this sudden "rage-against-the-wheel" an epiphany for some of the media and teams or simply sour grapes.

Some facts and comparisons from Barcelona over the past few years

* Funky facts and figures *

Yes that's true, most of the races have been 4 stops. HOWEVER look at the times, they are slowing down and struggling to match the same amount of pit stops from last year.

[myownalias]

I have never liked the fast degrading tyres, DRS, KERS, all artificial aids to spice up the racing, in my view what this has done is put a bandaid/plaster (depending on what part of the world you are from) on the issue of dull racing instead of fixing the actual problem. For how slow the drivers were traveling during the Spanish GP; we might as well dump the 1.6V6T in and ditch KERS now, what's the point of 800bhp if the tyres don't allow that power to be used?

[racechick]

agreed Myown!

[LewEngBridewell]

Pirelli have admitted the tyre management at Barcelona was a bit too far, so we're going to see it cooled off from Silverstone at the latest, but maybe even Montreal. The place where it all began, back in the Bridgestone days...

[1Lemon]

Pirelli have admitted the tyre management at Barcelona was a bit too far, so we're going to see it cooled off from Silverstone at the latest, but maybe even Montreal. The place where it all began, back in the Bridgestone days...

So the tyre does one complete full turn. How long until it falls off the Cliff?

[andrew]

Pirelli have admitted the tyre management at Barcelona was a bit too far, so we're going to see it cooled off from Silverstone at the latest, but maybe even Montreal. The place where it all began, back in the Bridgestone days...

So the tyre does one complete full turn. How long until it falls off the Cliff?

It all depends how far back from the edge of the cliff you start.