Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsPirelli

Ecclestone backs drivers' tyre calls

Bernie Ecclestone has backed calls from F1 drivers for Pirelli to produce tyres which they can push on for a full race.

The Grand Prix Drivers' Association - which includes the majority of the drivers on the F1 grid - this week announced it had unanimously agreed on requesting tyres which allow flat-out driving from 2017. The current tyres are designed to degrade in order to deliver two to three pit stops per race.

Ecclestone told the BBC that "most drivers" want the tyres to change, and that he has made Pirelli aware of his feelings that he agrees the drivers should have tyres which they can push on at all times.

"The bottom line is Pirelli supply the tyres in F1, they are the tyres we should use and the teams and drivers should work with Pirelli to perfect the tyres," Ecclestone said in defence of the tyre manufacturer.

One issue for Pirelli in making radical changes to the tyres is a lack of testing time with current cars, with the tyre manufacturer receiving just one day of testing in Abu Dhabi at the end of 2015, while a recent two-day test focused on wet tyres only.

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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.