Ross Brawn On Mercedes Tire Protest Situation

[Canada Darrell™]

1000km of F1 driving/tyre testing and no attention was given to "performance upgrades" at all? That must have been one hell of a boring afternoon.

[stealthhaggis]

Explains why Lewis nodded off in the pit lane during the race!

[Scott]

Why would Pirelli choose the car that least likes their tires for a 1000km data collecting test if they are not planning on changing the compound? 

Most sensible choice would be to go with the Ferrari (which they already used) to see why it was delaminating.

I do agree with Ross about the secrecy.  If all the other teams have packed up and left except for Merc and Pirelli, well...duh!

[cosworth151]

I can see the logic in using Merc. The problem was most pronounced there. If the FIA had given its blessing to the tests prior to their start, I doubt that the protests will get much traction.

[Alianora La Canta]

I do agree with Ross about the secrecy.  If all the other teams have packed up and left except for Merc and Pirelli, well...duh!

Except that if they'd done a filming day (which all teams can do two of in a year), that's exactly who would have been left. And unlike a tyre test, the FIA wouldn't have been expected to send an observer (all tests involving a current car are supposed to be cleared with the FIA first, including exact dates and location, so the FIA can send an observer to check all is above-board).

[Scott]

I can see the logic in using Merc. The problem was most pronounced there. If the FIA had given its blessing to the tests prior to their start, I doubt that the protests will get much traction.

But I thought the Ferrari was actually the one that had the most problems with safety (Massa's rear delaminated twice in one race weekend), and since the supposed tweak has nothing to do with performance (cough, cough), but only to do with safety, Ferrari was the wiser choice.

[John S]

According to sources I've read 90% of the test was with 2014 tyre compounds and only a small fraction of running on 2013 rubber. Also the tests of various compounds will have been blind to the Merc team, they will simply have been given shod wheels to run and supposedly only Pirelli will have known what and when was being tested.

How much benefit in reality can Merc have gained from running 100 kilometers or less on 2013 spec rubber and the other 900 on 2014 stock, even if they stuck various wing assemblies on? - Mind you I can't see Pirelli appreciating changes of wings or areo, it would invalidate their tests surely? 

In my estimation they only had about 20 laps on the present season tyres, not really time for making a lot of set up changes, even if they knew which tyres were the 2013 upgrades.     

The timing of the test just after the Spanish GP will not have allowed Pirelli the time to manufacture and transport a lot of upgraded 2013 tyres. The big saga surrounding this years tyres only really came to a head at the Spanish GP and it was then put forward that a change would be made by Canada.

The FIA's failure to address the tyre contract situation for 2014 has led to this unseemly situation Merc finds themselves caught up in.  Unfortunately it's played right into the hands of the sorest losers in F1 by a mile - 'Dietrich Darstardly' and his 'Muttly' Red Bull crew. 

[Alianora La Canta]

Now Pirelli have said they need more testing in Canada before introducing the new version of the 2013 tyre. Well, if they were primarily testing the 2014 tyre, then they have misrepresented the purpose of the test, as well as the other errors that accumulated - and no wonder the delay was necessary.

That technically renders the entire test invalid. There's no way the FIA can justify having Pirelli supply the tyres in 2014 due to faking the urgency of the 2013 "safety" test (if it could be fixed in 20 laps, it can't have been that unsafe, especially since that 20 laps would necessarily have included lappery on the current tyre to check the replacement was safer). As a result of this, there would be no point for anyone except Mercedes to do the 2014 tyres either.