Verstappen talks to Hamilton about 2021 tyres: 'Thought I was having a hard time'

On Friday the drivers had to test with Pirelli prototype tyres for 2021. Many drivers were not really satisfied with the quality of the tyres, which often left much to be desired. Even after qualifying the Bahrain Grand Prix it was still an important topic. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were critical of Pirelli.

On Friday Verstappen heard on the onboard radio about the driver in front of him who was sliding quite a lot. That turned out to be Hamilton, so the Dutchman spoke to him about it. "You had a lot of fun on those new tyres, didn't you?" Verstappen asked Hamilton during the press conference after qualifying, according to Motorsport.com. "I thought I was having a really hard time, but then I drove behind you."

He saw that Hamilton had difficulty controlling his car. "I then saw how you were driving and thought to myself, 'I'll be fine then.'" Hamilton was already critical on Friday about the direction where Pirelli is going with the tyres and would rather see a different step. Verstappen already indicated in the drivers' briefing that he was not satisfied and repeated his opinion in front of the journalists present at the press conference.

"I think it is important that we talk about this. I hope that Pirelli will also listen to the drivers." Nor does the Dutchman believe in the new tyres that Pirelli is likely to introduce before 2021. "We are already driving with less downforce next year and I think that the tax on the tyres will be a lot less as a result. If the new tyres are faster, that's great, of course, but I don't think they are," concludes Verstappen.