Tyre wear

That's cos Vettel had won every race except one at that stage in 2011.

Red Bull have really wound me up this year. They can't zoom off into the sunset every race so they just whine about the tyres.

Every team was given the same tyres when developing their cars. If Red Bull can't make them last, that's their problem, not Pirelli's.

When asked by AUTOSPORT if Mercedes was disappointed by the smaller-than-expected scale of Pirelli's changes, motorsport boss Toto Wolff said: "If you struggle with the tyres, like we obviously do, you can't expect the FIA to change the rules for your own benefit.

"This is why Lotus and Ferrari don't want the tyres to change.

"The one critical issue is of safety. We've seen tyres delaminating and none of us wants to have a safety issue.

"As long as the tyres are safe enough, I am sportsman enough to say that we should just make the car function on the tyres. The safety is my concern."

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That pretty much sums up my view. I think things have gone a little (but only a little) to far, but its the same for all teams so they all just have to work with it.

comment by TallAndUseless - Red Bull Racing: The new Ferrari? (U7652)
posted 1 hour, 4 minutes ago
That's cos Vettel had won every race except one at that stage in 2011.

Red Bull have really wound me up this year. They can't zoom off into the sunset every race so they just whine about the tyres.

Every team was given the same tyres when developing their cars. If Red Bull can't make them last, that's their problem, not Pirelli's.
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Newey's illegal parts can't work so they aren't happy. I cannot believe how the FIA let them get away with the multiple rule infringements last year

I would say hats off to Ferrari and Lotus for being ahead of the rest in terms of looking after their tyres

Did anyone else watch the James Martin/Jackie Stewart show last night - especially the bit about smooth driving. That is Kimi down to a tee + Alonso for that matter.

Didn't one driver famously quote (and it may have been the great Jackie Stewart) that Formula One is about winning going as slow as you can??

To compare the number of pit stops between years I think you must discount data of the cars that never managed to complete the race.

2011 – 21 cars – 70 pit stops = average = 3.3
2012 – 19 cars – 59 pit stops = average = 3.1
2013 – 19 cars – 73 pit stops = average = 3.8

So 2013 had 22% more pit stops than 2012 and 15% more than 2011.

Last year's Lotus and Ferrari were also kinder to their tyres than others. The tyre issue is car dependant and may be caused by trying to get more downforce into the rears.

My issue is that Pirelli should not have changed the compounds at all this year although I accept that they did what they were asked.