F1 News
"Verstappen took full advantage of the Red Bull's flaw"
- GPblog.com
At Silverstone, tyre maintenance was one of the most important factors during the race. Also in Spain it seems that the tyres will play an important role, since the wear and tear on the circuit in Barcelona is high. According to Kees van de Grint, who worked for Bridgestone for many years in the years of Michael Schumacher, the tyres have become too important.
"I have nothing against Pirelli, but the power of the tyre dealer is far too great," Van de Grint explains to the AD. "The problem lies in the current system. I also understand the other side of the story". Because strategy suddenly becomes much more important, it is also much more fun for the viewer to look at F1.
Verstappen makes use of shortcoming
So does Van de Grint. "Ninety percent of the fans enjoyed the race last week. Formula 1 has become more show than sport, unfortunately". Van de Grint is impressed by Max Verstappen, who managed to win by his management around the tyres in Silverstone. "I have been saying for years that Verstappen is the best and most complete driver of all. His victory in England actually started with Pirelli's choice of softer tyres".
Van de Grint thinks that those softer tires were responsible for the victory. "Because they have the most power and the most downward pressure, the tires will automatically warm up and wear out more. Their advantage became their disadvantage. That wasn't the case with Verstappen. He took full advantage of the relative flaw of his car," says Van de Grint.