Force India's Green warns current tyres could bring 'dull races'

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Pirelli's 2017 current selection of tyre compounds could lead to 'dull races', says Force India tech boss Andy Green.

The Italian manufacturer's mandate for this season was to produce more enduring compound all around, in order to enable drivers to push further their higher downforce cars .

But Green believes the approach and subsequent longer lasting stints could impact the quality of races.

"We're looking at a soft tyre now that can just about do a race distance around here Barcelona, which is sort of unheard of," explained the Force India engineer to Sky Sports David Croft.

"Normally winter testing in Barcelona is pretty tough on tyres, its' a tough track anyway and in the winter it's even tougher.

"So for us to be able to shod it with a set of soft tyres and do a race distance would mean we'll be doing one stop this year.

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Green insisted however that it was still early days, with adjustments possible over the course of the season could be made.

"We do need to get into some representative temperatures and some different tracks, let's see how it pans out over the first few races.

"I'm sure it's going to get tweaked because from where we are now I'm seeing some quite dull races.

This week, we're already picking tyres for the middle of the season so we'll need some sort of unanimous agreement between the teams or some top level decision that maybe they've overegged the tyres slightly.

"It's early days but around here at the moment we're looking quite conservative"

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.