Allison: ''The new tires are gonna make us much slower''

From 2022 new 18-inch tyres from Pirelli will be used. The current 13-inch tyres will therefore be used for an extra year, although this was not in Pirelli's planning. Mercedes however is not too happy with the new tyres.

''If you're thirteen years old and you were a fan of the 'Fast and Furious', you'll probably like this look, but I'm not a fan. Of course Pirelli puts a lot of work into making those tyres wear less, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are good racing tyres'", says James Allison in a video from Mercedes.

Allison sees the challenge

For Mercedes the new tyres wouldn't have been necessary, but for Allison it's a new challenge again. ''As a team you're looking for a way to take advantage of this. You'll get a completely new tyre and you want to get the most out of it'', says Allison, who thinks the sport isn't improving.

''For us the new tyres are an opportunity, but of course the car will be a lot slower and as far as I'm concerned that's not a positive point. The bigger the challenge, the better the result when we are back at the front'', concludes Allison, who has been responsible for the technical design of the Mercedes car in recent years.