Vettel: The tyres behaved well
Credit: PlanetF1.com (www.planetf1.com)
Sebastian Vettel had no complaints about the Pirelli rubber despite suffering a failure late in Friday's first day of running.
The Formula One teams were in action at the Yas Marina circuit on Friday for the start of a two-day test. It was also the beginning of their relationship with Pirelli, who are replacing Bridgestone as F1's tyre supplier.
Vettel completed 77 laps on Friday with a best time of 1:40.500, which put him second on the timesheets behind Ferrari's Felipe Massa.
"It was all about the tyres, as this was the first chance we have had to try them out and work with them to develop the car's set-up for next year," said the Red Bull driver.
"I think the tyres behaved well, better than expected given the short amount of time Pirelli have had and they've done a good job.
"Pirelli are obviously in the middle of their development and what we used today is not what we will race with, but it was a good start."
Friday's action was Vettel's first outing as Formula One's newly-crowned Champion after a hectic week of celebratory engagements.
"It was great to be back in the car after an incredible week - I went to Salzburg on Monday morning for a TV show and press conference and then to the UK to say thanks to the team in Milton Keynes - that was quite emotional.
"It's nice for me and the team to be able to enjoy our success, but 2011 started today and I was focusing on the tyres and getting to know them - I think we have learned quite a lot."
Vettel, however, did suffer a tyre failure late in the day, which Pirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery believes was caused by debris on the track.
"We had an instant deflation right at the end of the day coming up to Turn 11," Hembery said.
"In general, the track is quite dirty after six days of running and there's a lot of debris on the track. We were starting to notice some cuts on the rear tyres.
"It's nothing untoward - we just want to find out what's causing it."
Credit: PlanetF1.com (www.planetf1.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment