The Pirelli tyres were the focus of a lot of interest during Friday practice © Sutton Images
Michael Schumacher said he was pleased with Mercedes' Friday practice for the Australian Grand Prix, citing the Pirelli tyres as a clear improvement on testing.
Drivers have been quick to criticise the new rubber after Pirelli developed compounds that degrade more quickly in order to cause more pit stops and enhance entertainment. But Schumacher said that the tyres were a plus point on a good day for the team.
"My first impressions of the 2011 season are quite positive," Schumacher said. "We learned a lot today, and are more or less where we thought we would be, although it was quite windy and tricky to drive. We will sort out some issues on our car for the rest of the weekend but I am still happy with what we have seen here so far. I would like to give a compliment to the Pirelli tyres which worked very well here today."
Mercedes' Norbert Haug added his backing for the tyres, and while he was pleased with where the team stood he said the day had not been one without problems, with both drivers having their running hampered by "technical issues".
"We learned a lot about our car and the new Pirelli tyres on this track today which is obviously quite different to the ones we have been testing on," Haug said. "However not everything went perfectly this afternoon as we had some technical issues which influenced the lap times for both Michael and Nico. Our initial impressions are that we have basically a similar potential to that shown during the last test in Barcelona a fortnight ago."
Credit: ESPN F1 (en.espnf1.com)
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