Vettel did not benefit from tyre development - Hembery

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Pirelli boss Paul Hembery says that Ferrari's form this season is not related to Sebastian Vettel's tyre development work last year with the Italian manufacturer.

The German driver carried out over 2,000 kilometers of testing in 2016 with Pirelli's new-spec wider tyres, an extensive workload which surpassed by far the amount of miles racked up by Mercedes.

Toto Wolff recently admitted that the German outfit's lack of test running with Pirelli last season may have been a mistake.

But Hembery does not believe that the cause of Mercedes' recent difficulty in getting its tyres to operate in the correct temperature window is a lack of running last year.

"Yes, Sebastian did a lot of testing," Hembery told Formula1.com.

"It was very intense and he gave us a lot of feedback. We thank him for that. That is what we wanted: the top drivers giving us good feedback.

"But because he didn’t really know what he was testing - he was blind-testing - it might have helped him psychologically, but I doubt it helped practically."

Hembery also noted that Mercedes' tyre temperature issues, which appeared to subside last weekend in Montreal, were not present at every track.

"Actually Mercedes’ issue is linked a bit to certain circuits: in Barcelona they were fine - and in Silverstone and Spa they will be as well.

"It’s the lower-grip circuits where they’ve had a few more problems, but I am sure they will resolve any issues as we go through the season."

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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.