F1 drivers asked not to criticise Pirelli publicly

Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery has revealed F1 drivers have been asked not to criticise Pirelli in public.

There was a meeting on Saturday at Monza which involved Pirelli, Bernie Ecclestone and a number of drivers in order to discuss the future direction of Pirelli's involvement following the fallout from the tyre failures at Spa. With Sebastian Vettel heavily criticising Pirelli after the Belgian Grand Prix, Hembery says the meeting was not a reaction to the last event.

"It was something we asked for back in June and it is really to find a way going forward if we are to stay in F1 to have a much better working relationship and collaboration between all parties in the sport," Hembery said. "We can’t go through to 2017 without a dramatic change in tyre widths, for example, with the current regulations saying we can’t test in any F1 car whatsoever.

"We also feel there needs to be better communication with the drivers. All parties need to agree on the objective and though you may not agree with the objective, but if the sport decides it is going in a direction then we all need to know we are looking at the same future."

Asked if drivers have been asked to not criticise Pirelli, Hembery replied: "They have been asked to do it in the right environment."

When asked if that meant not though the media, Hembery clarified: "In the right environment, which is in the team and with us.

"They should express their opinions in the right manner … Other things happen in the sport and they don’t offer an opinion. I think it just needs to be balanced."

0.021s between Hamilton and Rosberg in FP2

2016 F1 driver line-ups so far

F1 drivers' girlfriends gallery

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

Recent Posts

McLaren: No regrets over timing of Norris pit stop in Sao Paulo GP

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has insisted that the squad has no regrets about their…

1 hour ago

Williams' Boutsen hoists the mainsail in Adelaide

On this day in 1989, Williams' Thierry Boutsen secured his second F1 win when he…

2 hours ago

Horner: Max 'answered critics' with epic Sao Paulo GP drive

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner hailed Max Verstappen’s sensational Sao Paulo Grand Prix victory…

3 hours ago

Sainz left puzzled by double crash drama in rainy São Paulo

Carlos Sainz was left scratching his head after a disastrous Sunday at the Sao Paulo…

4 hours ago

Alonso pushed through agonizing pain to complete Sao Paulo GP

Fernando Alonso braved both physical agony and mechanical challenges in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix,…

6 hours ago

Alpine double-podium in Brazil could deliver $30 million windfall

Alpine’s remarkable double podium at the São Paulo Grand Prix with Esteban Ocon and Pierre…

20 hours ago