Drivers struggling with 'massive' tyre pressure change

Jenson Button described the tyre pressure change at the Chinese Grand Prix as "massive" and the main cause for a number of driver complaints on Friday.

Numerous drivers complained about the lack of grip they were getting from the tyres during FP1 and FP2, which was leading to cars sliding and tyres overheating. Button highlighted the tyre pressures as the main cause of the handling problems but says McLaren is not alone in having difficulty.

“I think everyone is struggling with the tyres out there, the graining and the overheating, because the minimum tyre pressure are very high, so it’s tough for everyone out there," Button said. "The minimum pressures we can run are massively high, so the tyres overheat almost immediately.

"It’s quite a big issue, especially in the longer runs, so we’re just trying to find the best way around it, really. I don’t think we’ve done a very good job of it, but I don’t think anyone else did either as it’s very difficult. I don’t think there’s really anything you can do about it.

"Last year the tyre pressures were 19 Psi, this year they went up by four Psi and that’s massive. That’s what we have to have before we leave the pits so soon they go through the roof…

"It’s tricky and that’s why you see the cars 'floating' a lot more, not so stuck to the road and you cannot carry speed, because it’s such a small section of the tyre that is actually touching the road, but it’s the same for everybody, I guess."

With rain forecast on Saturday, Button says he would like to see mixed conditions during qualifying in order to give him a better chance of making it through to Q3.

"For tomorrow I think I’ll welcome anything that can mix things up. I think our pace is OK on low fuel, probably not as good as in the last race but still pretty good. I didn’t manage to do quite as good a lap in FP2 as I did in the last race.

"It was OK, so if it’s dry I think we’re going to be knocking on the door of top ten, maybe we can get in and if it’s mixed you can make a big mistake and get it totally wrong but you can also get it very right, so I would go for the risk."