Hard tyre compound wrong choice for Barcelona - Perez

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Force India's Sergio Perez mocked Pirelli's choice of including its hard compound in its Spanish GP tyre selection, saying it will only be good for pictures.

Perez echoed the opinion of several other drivers, like Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, considering the hard tyre will remain on its rack all weekend.

"I think the hard will be just for the picture, basically," said Perez in Spain on Thursday. "We will not use it at all."

The Mexican even went as far as to suggest that the medium compound could also prove a difficult proposition if temperatures don't shoot up at the Circuit de Catalunya.

"Maybe with the rougher tarmac, with an aggressive track, it is very different to Russia with the higher track temperatures," the Mexican added.

"So maybe, maybe, maybe, it can work. But too many maybes. I would have definitely have gone for supersoft, at the very least.

"We could have gone even to the ultrasoft around here."

In an nutshell: which tyres for the Spanish GP?

Siding with Perez, Haas' Romain Grosjean also thought that Pirelli had got its tyre choice wrong.

"We used the ultra soft in winter testing and it wasn’t that bad," said the Frenchman.

"Vettel did 25 laps on them, so we could have had supersoft, soft and medium."

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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.