Hamilton asks Pirelli for change: 'Guilty of a fundamental problem'

Despite his P2 qualification the weekend of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes isn't going smoothly in Baku either. Especially getting and keeping the tyres on temperature proved to be a stumbling block. In light of this Lewis Hamilton expressed strong criticism to Pirelli in an interview and asks for drivers to be included in the decision-making process of the tyre manufacturer.

"We drivers constantly complain that these tires are overheating. We can't attack constantly, and from my point of view that's the basis for better sport." Hamilton argued in conversation with Speedweek. "We want tires that don't overheat immediately, but with which we can attack to our hearts' content. Today we have to handle the reels so carefully that we prepare certain attacks for several rounds."

Around the table with Pirelli

The driver continued: "Pirelli is guilty of a fundamental problem. These cars are getting heavier. When we had several tire manufacturers in Formula 1 at the time, the racing cars were considerably lighter. But the companies spurred each other on. Today this incentive is missing because we have a sole supplier. It's only us drivers who put pressure today."

In light of this, the driver also asks for a seat at the drivers' meeting table. “We always tried to be constructive because we don't want to upset Pirelli. We sit down with the Milanese on an ongoing basis. I wanted to make it clear: 'Please include the drivers in these processes. We don't want to work against you, but we are part of this sport and we want to help.'" Hamilton said.