Jos Verstappen more critical of Pirelli than Max who 'doesn't want to be negative'
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- GPblog.com
Much has been made of Pirelli's rain tyres this year. For example, the full wets are said to offer too little grip and create too much spray. Jos Verstappen is a lot more critical of the Italian tyre supplier than Max Verstappen. The two-time World Champion said he is very keen to help Pirelli in the areas that are currently lacking.
Asked by Viaplay's F1 Talks when Pirelli will finally develop a good rain tyre that can also be driven properly in Formula 1, Jos replied: "But they have to put the effort in. Really I think they think that the tyre is good enough but I really think they have to improve and as long as they are not full convinced on that it will not happen."
The current problem is that there is no good racing on the full wets, so all drivers actually opt for the intermediates by default, even when there is still standing water on the asphalt. The danger of this is that aquaplaning can occur. An example is Carlos Sainz's crash on the opening lap of this year's Japanese Grand Prix.
Verstappen wants to talk to Pirelli
Max agreed that the full wets are not yet where they should be. "That [draining] is not happening very well at the moment either. It's slow, moves a lot and doesn't offer enough support." The Red Bull Racing driver believes a better tyre can really still be developed than is currently being done. "I'm pretty sure that's possible, but we need to talk to them more," he said.
The 25-year-old Dutchman especially "doesn't want to be negative". "Because I like working with them to create better tyres for even better rain racing. I hope to speak to them soon. I would like to help. I know they have been in the game for some time and that is super. They have invested a lot in the sport and it's a nice brand. But they can do better. That's also their goal. I want to improve, so does the team. Hopefully they want that too," he concluded.