Ferrrari expects problems with 2021 tyres: 'That's going to be a new factor'

Pirelli is going to come with new tyres for the coming season. The cars will be adapted and so the tyres will also get an update. In 2020 the teams were already allowed to test several times with a prototype, but not everyone got on with them. Teams are therefore expressing their concerns about the tyres for 2021, explains Laurent Mekies, technical director of Ferrari.

"We know that this band is like that for safety's sake. Of course we all want it to be safer. We want to push as hard as we can on the tyres without worrying about the safety of the tyre and I think Pirelli has done that now. That does mean that the tyre has less grip and that is something we do not really want. However, if it's the price we have to pay to get more safety, then I think it's fine," Mekies says to Motorsport.com.

Teams supporting drivers

Mekies explains that a reduction in grip is not the only problem the teams are going to face this year. "The tricky thing about this tyre is that they have less grip, but they also come through corners with a balance shift and that will probably mean that in winter you have to start thinking carefully about how you are going to handle it." Changes in balance will also play a role, Mekies expects.

The teams will therefore have to start looking carefully at how they are going to deal with the changes in aerodynamics and the changes in the tyres. "It's not just the grip, because the characteristics are also very different. How we are going to support the drivers in this will be an important issue and I think it will be good for the short term next year, because we are going to have a new factor for the championship next season," concludes Mekies hopefully.