Hamilton: “The 2014 Pirelli tires have improved”

Pirelli announced after the test in Jerez that it is too early to evaluate the performance of its new 2014 Formula 1 tyres. Despite four days of testing last week, many teams completed few laps and therefore collected little significant data.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, however, expressed a positive opinion on the new tires after the Jerez test: “The 2014 tires are better.”

“They're more durable, so you can do maybe 30 laps and they have a lot less wear,” the Briton told broadcaster Sky. “But there are still overheating issues, like any other tire.”

Pirelli, however, does not approve of Hamilton's comments, on the basis that the lack of kilometers done at Jerez means "that little work was carried out on the tire".

Indeed, Paul Hembery had scheduled media interviews on the last day of the test, but in the end the test was not useful enough to understand the tyres.

“The upcoming tests in Bahrain should allow all teams to focus on the tires a little more, having had two weeks to develop their cars and remedy any issues that were identified in Jerez,” he added.