Haug: “The Pirelli tires made the season very exciting”

Norbert Haug does not share Michael Schumacher's criticism of the current generation of Pirelli tyres.

The vice president of Mercedes Motorsport does not agree with the seven-time world champion, although he somehow justifies it. At the end of the Bahrain GP, ​​Schumi accused Pirelli of having created tires that degrade so quickly as to be unworthy of the top of car racing. “We drive as if every lap we were behind the safety car. It's not a satisfactory situation.", Schumacher had said.

His boss Haug, however, did not fully agree: “Pirelli contributed to much tougher competition in 2012 with many exciting and hard-fought races”, he told German journalists including those from the Sport1 broadcaster. “Of course, for a driver there is always a certain frustration when he thinks he can go faster, but then he is forced to pay attention to tire degradation throughout the race. It's just the nature of the driver.", Haug added. "Michael's comments, however, are intended to demonstrate that Mercedes does not silence its drivers, who can freely express their personal opinions."

Lorena Bianchi