Adam Cooper F1

Red Bull has followed up its protest against Mercedes by reminding the FIA that it is the obligation of the teams to ensure that they comply with the regulations.

Pirelli has justified the test via a contract it has with the FIA which makes provision for 1000kms of extra testing with teams. However that is inevitably trumped by the requirement to obey the FIA’s own regulations.

In a letter sent yesterday by Christian Horner to the FIA – and copied to all the other teams and seen by this blog – the team makes clear how seriously it views the situation.

Horner wrote: “For clarity our protest is not against any third party supplier (including the tyre supplier) as it is the clear obligation of the entrant, irrelevant of any supplier contract, to comply with the Sporting and Technical Regulations, which in this case were clearly breached.

“For any competitor to have the benefit of running a current car with current race drivers with tyres that are to be used in the current World Championship is an enormous and unfair advantage for both performance and reliability and in our opinion totally unacceptable.”

Today Pirelli insisted that most of the Mercedes running was devoted to 2014 tyre development, despite Paul Hembery saying in Monaco last week that testing with a current car would be “pointless.”

Hembery said today that only a small period involved Kevlar belted tyres, similar to those that will be tested in Montreal and potentially raced at Silverstone. However, he insisted that it did not involve a 2013 compound.

Nevertheless rivals agree that, whatever tyres were used, Mercedes would have gained a lot from the test.

Pirelli has responded to criticism by issuing the following statement immediately ahead of a phone conference call. Here’s their view in full:

Pirelli, in development testing with teams carried out in 2013, has not favoured any teams and, as always, acted professionally, with transparency and in absolute good faith. The tyres used were not from the current championship but belonged to a range of products still being developed in view of an eventual renewal of the supply contract. Further, none of the tests were carried for the purpose of enhancing specific cars, but only to test tyre solutions for future championships. The use of the car utilized by Mercedes, in particular, was the result of direct communication between FIA and the team itself. Pirelli did not ask in any way that a 2013 car be used: not of Mercedes nor FIA nor the teams which, during the year, were offered the opportunity of participating in tests for the development of tyres for 2014. The tyres that will be tested by the teams in the free practice at the Montreal Grand Prix have never been used by the teams before.  With regard to the new tyres, the problem of delamination has been solved by Pirelli’s technicians exclusively through laboratory testing. Delamination, which only occurred on four occasions and always because of on-track detritus, has never put the drivers’ safety at risk, but does risk harming Pirelli’s image. This is why the company decided to intervene.  

With regard to the rules which govern its conduct, the company has always respected the contractual limits which bind it to the FIA, teams and championship’s organizers, and has always respected the principles of sporting loyalty.

Pirelli, however, feels the need to reaffirm the indisputable need to carry out tests for the development of tyres which are adequate and regulated by rules which are clear and shared by all the interested parties. The company confirms its availability, as communicated to the teams many times in the past, to organize tests for the development of tyres for 2014 with all the teams in the championship.

 PIRELLI’S ANSWERS TO FIA

With regard to requests for information received from FIA, Pirelli promptly provided the answers needed to clarify what happened at the tests, as far as its own responsibilities went.

 DEVELOPMENT TESTS FOR 2014 TYRES WERE OFFERED TO ALL:  NO FAVOURTISM

The tests were conducted in observance of the contract between Pirelli and FIA, which gives the supplier the possibility of carrying out tests for the development of tyres with each team of up to 1,000 kilometres, without specifying the type of car to be used, nor sanctioning the simultaneous presence of all the teams for the running of the tests. In this regard, Pirelli has since 2010 made it clear that it is neither possible nor useful to carry out this type of test with all the teams simultaneously.  In fact, this type of testing aimed at technological development and researching new solutions, involves many tyres of different types which must be tested with a single car at a time. Testing for championship specifications is different, as occurs in winter testing which require the participation of all the teams, so as to find the most satisfying solutions for all the cars in the competition. For this reason, Pirelli insists on the need for winter testing under conditions which are truly representative of the situations which will be met during the championship.

 Already in March 2012, Pirelli sent an email to all the teams, Fia and Fom, inviting the teams to indicate their availability for testing for the development of tyres for 2013. Further, the company explained that it was necessary to conduct the tests with the teams’ cars because it did not have a suitable one of its own (Pirelli has the use of an adapted 2010 Renault and, before that, a 2009 Toyota).

The invitation was subsequently repeated in various official contexts and repeated to some teams last March for the development of tyres for 2014.

 THE TEST CONDUCTED IN BARCELONA WAS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TYRES FOR 2014 AND NOT FOR THE MODIFICATION OF 2013 SPECIFICATIONS

This test, as always, carried out with a single compound never used in a championship, regarded structures not in use in the current season and not destined to be used later during the 2013 season. The tyre tests were conducted “in the dark”, which means that the teams had no information on which specifications were being tested or about the goal of the testing; nor did they receive any type of information afterwards.

Further, the tests did not regard delamination in any way, as that problem was dealt with and resolved by Pirelli’s technicians through laboratory tests, with the support of data gathered during the first races of the season. 

Pirelli always asked for representative cars, that is, with performances comparable to those of the cars being used in the championship underway, without ever referring to those effectively used in the 2013 races.

The “2013 MERCEDES” At BARCELONA WAS THE SUBJECT OF DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN THE TEAM AND FIA. PIRELLI MADE NO REQUESTS AND HAD NO WAY OF KNOWIING IF RULES WERE BEING VIOLATED

The Barcelona test was conducted in cooperation with Mercedes between May 15 and May 17, 2013. The teams made available one car and two first tier drivers, who alternated at the wheel on different days.

The trials were done with a base compound, not in use this year, and 12 different structures which had never been used in 2013, only one of which with kevlar.

The team did not obtain any advantage with regard to knowledge of the behaviour of the tyres in use in the current championship.

The type of car used during the tests was the subject of direct discussions between Mercedes and FIA, as shown in the exchange of emails between the team and Pirelli. In particular, Mercedes informed Pirelli that its 2011 car could not be used and that it had already contacted Fia regarding the use of the 2013 car. There is no doubt that the questions relating to the vehicle were the exclusive domain of the team and that Pirelli was excluded from these questions (notwithstanding Pirelli’s need, from a technical point of view, to have a representative car in terms of impact on the performance of the tyres).

 To confirm that this was an ordinary development test and not aimed at specific interventions, Pirelli made no specific requests about the drivers or about the tye of Mercedes staff that would be present during the tests and had fielded its normal team for development testing.

EXPERIMENTAL TYRES FOR THE CANADA GP NEVER USED BEFORE

The tyres with the new structures in kevlar which will be given to the teams during the free practice at the Montreal Grand Prix will for the first time be track tested, following laboratory development. The new tyres have overcome the problem of delamination. This phenomenon in no manner compromises the drivers’ safety but risks damaging the company’s image. At the Canada tests, the teams will have the opportunity to express their opinions and make observations.

 NO CHANGE TO THE “DURATION” OF THE TYRES

Pirelli, ready as it is to make changes at any moment, has made no modifications that effect the duration of the tyres and, consequently, on the number of pit stops during the race because of a lack of unanimity of the part of the teams.

 

While we wait for Jean Todt to decide whether or not the case against Mercedes is passed on the International Tribunal, Pirelli could also find itself in serious trouble with the FIA over the affair.

Pirelli is not a competitor and can thus not be sanctioned through the normal FIA channels. However, there is an alternative scenario. Crucially, as a sole supplier Pirelli has a contractual obligation with the FIA to guarantee ‘sporting equity’ – and if the FIA ultimately deems that that this has not been the case, then it could in theory take legal action.

Understandably the FIA may be reluctant to follow such a course, but if Pirelli is deemed to have not fulfilled its contractual obligations one could speculate that the Italian company’s bid to retain its role as sole supplier from 2014 could be weakened.

That would leave the door open for Michelin to bid for the tender for the new F1 contract, although as the FIA’s tender system makes clear, any new supplier would have course first have to conclude a commercial deal with Bernie Ecclestone, for trackside advertising and so on.

Clearly Pirelli will be now be called to account to the FIA for how it behaved over the decision to run the Mercedes test, and then to subsequently keep quiet about it – and as Jean Todt has confirmed, the FIA submitted questions to Pirelli earlier this week, and is expecting answers by today.

Meanwhile some evidence of how Pirelli may struggle to prove that it has maintained its usual standards of sporting equity in the Mercedes case is provided by an intriguing document seen by this blog.

It concerns how Pirelli usually conducts its regular development testing with the 2010 Renault/Lotus chassis, as driven by the likes of Pirelli test drivers Lucas di Grassi and Jaime Alguersuari.

The contents underline the huge contrast with how the Barcelona Mercedes test was run, in total secrecy and with the regular team and drivers involved. It also poses a few questions about Ferrari’s late April Pirelli test in Barcelona, run somewhat less contentiously with the 2011 car – and thus within the sporting regulations – but without the knowledge of rivals.

The letter, written to all the teams on April 27^th 2012, shows the lengths that Pirelli went to in order to ensure that Lotus F1 gained no advantage from the testing, something that rivals were concerned about when a car from a current team was chosen to replace the outdated 2009 Toyota.

After lengthy debate all the teams – including Mercedes and Ferrari – agreed that a Renault/Lotus was a good compromise. At the time the ex-Kubica/Petrov car was a midfield challenger rather than title contender, but one fast enough with which to conduct representative testing. Clearly Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes did not want one of their established immediate rivals to conduct the testing, so paranoid were they about the opportunity providing a possible advantage.

Pirelli went to considerable trouble to demonstrate to teams that it would ensure that Lotus gained no benefit.

The letter stresses that the car is run by the Lotus show car team – who usually take part in demos and street events – and emphasises that no data from a test is passed to the main race team.

It also goes to great lengths to stress that key tyre data is handled not by Lotus but passed direct to Pirelli via an independent infra-red camera system run by a German company called RennWerk Gmbh, set up by former Toyota employees.

Pirelli even includes a diagram to illustrate the flow of data, and demonstrate how the Italian company and RennWerk control it, with Lotus given access to what the engineers require to be able to run the car. But special software means that even the data that Lotus works with cannot be accessed “outside the specified test events” thanks to the way it uses a data system called Atlas, which is provided by McLaren Electronics.

Crucially Pirelli gives the dates of the planned 2012 tests in Jerez, Spa, Monza and Barcelona, and offers an invitation to teams to send representatives to observe any test.

The conditions are that that are only allowed to talk to one Pirelli representative, and are not allowed inside the garage, but every effort is made to make them feel welcome – even the provision of wi-fi, somewhere to work, and a free lunch…

Pirelli also confirms that it will send a report by email, outlining the results of the test, no earlier than a week after it concludes.

Pirelli told the teams: “As already anticipated, we are happy to have one representative from each Team attending our development tests. We need to know the name of the person no later than one week before the beginning of each Test, to guarantee their access at the circuit.

“We kindly ask you to understand that the level of confidentiality during a development test is very high, and we are obliged to define clear rules for the attendance, I hope you appreciate this. We will share a run plan in the morning of each test day and we will keep representatives updated with a short briefing during the lunch break (if planned) and at the end of each test day. We will communicate the timetable of the briefing in due time.

“The briefing will be managed by our F1 Team Coordinator, Massimiliano Damiani, and no other people involved in the test from Pirelli, Lotus, Renault, Rennwerk or McLaren Electronics will be authorized to speak with anybody unless specifically decided by Pirelli.

“Our test drivers are not authorized to speak with Teams’ representatives and Teams’ representatives won’t be equipped with radios. The plan is decided by Pirelli at its sole discretion and can be modified only by Pirelli test coordinator.

“After each test we will supply a short report to summarize the results achieved. This short report will be sent by email not earlier than one week after the end of the test, when we have completed all our analysis.

No telemetry data will be shared with the Teams’ representatives.”

In further emphasising that Lotus does not gain any advantage, Pirelli told the teams:

“They will do a normal “reliability” debrief with the driver at the end of each day but they will not be involved in the results and findings from the test, so this part of the debrief should be done exclusively by the Pirelli Race Engineer with the driver.

“They will not participate in any kind of post analysis of the data.

“They will not know tyre compound or construction in the Runplan unless it has a consequence on ride heights.

“They will send us a basic pre-event analysis containing fuel effect, expected laptime and base setup.

“At the end of each day, they will send us the Runsheet containing laptime, driver comments and setup changes.”

Pirelli goes to great lengths to show that the data cannot be used by Lotus.

“LOTUS is running usual data processing during the event (vTAG). RENNWERK is monitoring the data processing to avoid unwanted data generation

“LOTUS cannot export any data due to specific ATLAS licenses with data export functions disabled

“The only exception is the generation of statistics for safe running of the car and lifing purposes. RENNWERK is monitoring these exports to avoid unwanted data generation and export.

“Apart from the above exception, PIRELLI is the only user to be able to export and transfer data out of the LOTUS Show Car Team Network

“All data are retained inside the LOTUS Show Car Team Network

“Mechanisms like encrypted hard discs, locked USB ports and monitoring of network traffic are installed to prevent unwanted data removal

“Usage of PIRELLI owned ATLAS licenses ensures that data cannot be accessed outside the specified test events

“RENNWERK will monitor licence usage and data security mechanisms during the events

Given the above provisions it’s perhaps not surprising that rivals were somewhat taken aback when news of the Mercedes test emerged, and indeed the Ferrari session, even if it was conducted with an old car.

The other teams were not told it was happening, they were not invited to attend as observers, and they have yet to receive any reports about either the Ferrari or Mercedes tests, in apparent contradiction of Pirelli’s usual policy, as outlined above.

The crucial question however is did Pirelli and its partner Rennwerk follow in detail the above data security provisions when running the Ferrari and Mercedes tests? The provisions that Pirelli clearly worked so hard on because they (and all the teams) knew exactly how Lotus or anyone else could benefit by participating in a tyre test, even with an old car.

Questioned by this blog, spokesmen from both Mercedes and Ferrari stressed that it was a Pirelli test and thus they were not willing or not able to make any comment about how the tests were run, and thus not in a position to confirm that the same standards were applied, or that RennWerk was involved in monitoring the data. However, both did stress that the teams were not told what tyres Pirelli was putting on the car.

I also asked Pirelli whether the recent tests were conducted under similar conditions to the usual Renault/Lotus testing, specifically with regard to the involvement of RennWerk in controlling the flow of data.

A Pirelli spokesperson told me: “Apart from the comments Paul has already given you on the recent events, we have nothing further to add for the time being as it is company policy not to give any details about our R&D programme to the media.”

However it is due to hold a press conference today.

As noted, the FIA has asked Pirelli some questions – it will be interesting to see what the next step is…

Despite Nico Rosberg’s Monaco GP win Ross Brawn says it won’t become apparent whether Mercedes has got to the bottom of its tyre problems until Silverstone.

Brawn was also keen to downplay suggestions that Mercedes benefited in Monaco from the disputed Barcelona test.

“I don’t see how because we were testing future tyres,” said Brawn. “We were on pole position in several races before the Pirelli test, and this is an easier track on tyres. I think for us the measure of whether we’ve made real progress will come at Silverstone, because that’s the first really hard duress circuit where we need to see if we can improve the tyre situation.”

Meanwhile Brawn says he wants the drivers to keep spurring each other on.

“We want the ‘yo-yo,’ we want each driver to assert himself for a few races, and then the other one will try harder and assert himself. I think if we can achieve that, we’ll have a fantastic season.”

Brawn was full of praise for Rosberg’s drive: “Nico ran a great race, perfect time, perfect pace. We didn’t get it right with Lewis around the pit stop with the safety car, and that was a great shame because I think he was in perfect condition at that point, and I think he could have perhaps managed more. Apart from that, it was a perfect weekend.

“He’s been in very good shape all weekend. Last year he was tremendous here, he followed Mark through the whole race last year, he was clearly a quicker car, but he couldn’t use it.”

Pirelli’s planned change to Kevlar-belted rear tyres for the British GP could still be blocked by the teams, despite its apparent confidence that the switch will go ahead.

The Italian company may be a little optimistic, because the change still requires unanimous consent from the teams, and that has not yet been forthcoming.

It’s believed that three teams have been reluctant to agree, in some cases specifically because – as outlined here this week – they would lose the advantage they currently gain by running the steel-belted right and left rear tyres the wrong way round. That will no longer be relevant with the Kevlar tyres.

Regarding the planned change Paul Hembery noted in Monaco: “It risks changing the dynamic of the tyre in terms of shape and deformation for example, you can imagine that there are a number of teams that have been extremely vocal about wanting dramatic changes, and there are a number of equally vocal teams who want absolutely no changes.

“You’re stuck in the middle of that. You have to find a solution that’s sportingly equitable, which means making as few changes as possible, because everybody had the same information and data when we started out the season, and it would be unfair on teams that perceive they are doing well at the moment to penalise them with a chance that is too dramatic.”

No agreement was reached in time for Canada, but in postponing the move until Silverstone Pirelli is at least hoping to diffuse some of the tension resulting from the teams learning that Mercedes ran Kevlar tyres at the Barcelona test, thus getting a jump start on the opposition.

The other 10 teams will now have a chance to run them on Friday in Montreal, with each driver being given two sets under the ‘experimental’ tyre rule.

However if it is wet in Montreal on Friday it seems highly unlikely that even those teams supporting the move will all agree to run the new tyres at Silverstone, knowing that Mercedes is still the only competitor with prior knowledge.

Agreement is required because Pirelli has not played the safety card, which trumps the usual arrangement, and requires no agreement from the teams.

One might assume that Pirelli does not want to resort to formally declaring that its current tyres are unsafe in order to force the change through. Indeed Paul Hembery has repeatedly made it clear Pirelli is more worried from a PR point of view about how a tread delamination looks on TV.

There is also the question of whether a loss of tread can be justified as a safety issue, when in fact it has allowed drivers to continue safely when as opposed to losing control due to a complete tyre failure.

Indeed even Hembery admitted in Monaco that the delaminating tyres could actually be viewed as safer given that they allow drivers to continue.

“It doesn’t deflate, that’s certainly true,” he said. “That is an aspect. Visually from a tyre maker’s point of view, it’s not great. Some of the damage we’ve seen this year more than likely would have caused a deflation, as we’ve seen in previous seasons, so that is debatable. It just looks really poor, so we have to change.”

Others in the pitlane support the view that the current tyres are better.

“The safest mode of failure with a cut tyre is what they have,” one team insider told this writer. “Or you can have a puncture that deflates rapidly and then explodes. The safest thing they can do is basically make this construction not delaminate. That’s just a bonding issue between the tread and the casing, that’s the bottom line.

“They found out that last year’s tyres have the better bond, because the bond between Kevlar and rubber is a lot easier to get right than it is between steel and rubber. For them it’s let’s go back to Kevlar, and then the tread won’t come off. But you’ll get punctures…”

Ferrari has  downplayed the relevance of a tyre test it conducted on Pirelli’s behalf at Barcelona between the Bahrain and Spanish GPs.

Ferrari has justified its involvement in the tyre test in the same way as Mercedes has, in that it was simply responding to a request Pirelli made in a letter to the teams in March last year. As Pirelli’s Paul Hembery told this blog in Monaco, “some replied, some didn’t.”

The key point is that Ferrari ran a 2011 car on behalf of Pirelli, in stark contrast to the later Mercedes test at the same venue with a 2013 machine. Thus there is no question of Ferrari having contravened the FIA sporting regulations by running a current car.

The car was also run at Barcelona not by the race team but by the Corse Clienti division, which takes care of cars owned by wealthy customers, as well as conducting street demonstrations and any other running involving non-current cars, such as young driver tests.

In Monaco Stefano Domenicali made it clear that Ferrari’s protest against Mercedes was focussed solely its use of the W04 – on the basis that the Italian team would be happy to test with its own F138, if that is ultimately deemed legal.

“For a bit more of a year there has been a possibility of performing these so-called 1000kms tests that Pirelli does for its own tyre development,” a team spokesman told this blog. “For Ferrari it has always been very clear that these tests could not make use of a 2013 car. In terms of running an old car, the matter is quite irrelevant, because it is totally within the rules.

“This is something that we have never denied, this was very transparent. All the teams have this possibility. The tyres, the specification of the test, is something that Pirelli knows, not us.”

However, while Ferrari clearly has not broken any FIA rules, rival teams were not aware of the test at the time, and have been somewhat surprised as details have gradually emerged – and thus the issue is more one of a lack of transparency from Pirelli, and as with the Mercedes test, its contractual commitment to the FIA to ensure sporting equity.

Until the Ferrari test Pirelli had conducted its development with a 2010 Renault, run by the Lotus show car team, but with other teams kept fully in the loop about what was going on. They were given clear guarantees that Lotus would not gain any advantage, and sent reports of the test results.

This was not the case with either the Ferrari or Mercedes tests.

Williams has confirmed that is has signed a “long-term” deal with Mercedes from the 2014 season onwards, as predicted here last week.

Mercedes will thus have four engine partners in 2014, and only three in 2015 after McLaren goes to Honda, at least as things stand at the moment.

The deal makes obvious sense given Toto Wolff’s relationship with both parties, and while it hasn’t been mentioned, one could speculate that there could be some co-operation between Mercedes and Williams on other projects.

Sir Frank Williams said: “Mercedes-Benz has been one of the sport’s most successful engine suppliers and we believe that they will have an extremely competitive engine package. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Renault for their continued hard work since we renewed our engine partnership at the beginning of the 2012 season. We have enjoyed a strong relationship that has resulted in much success over the years, including powering us to winning ways once again last year at the Spanish Grand Prix.”

Toto Wolff added: “It is a win-win situation for both HPP and Williams, which will ensure HPP is able to supply at least three teams on a long-term basis under the new regulations and could open interesting new perspectives for technology transfer. We look forward to enjoying much success together over the coming years.”

Meanwhile Renault Sport boss Jean-Michel Jalinier said: “We have stated on numerous occasions that we would supply up to five teams if there was a requirement to do so, but this would not make sense economically or be ideal for our resources.

“Three, or up to four, teams is the ideal for us so the departure of Williams normalizes the situation and makes things much clearer from our side. We will announce the next team [Caterham] within a matter of days, and then confirm the final stage before the end of June. We remain incredibly motivated about the challenge of the 2014 engines.”

Pirelli has now issued a formal statement confirming its intention to give each driver two sets of ‘experimental’ tyres for the Friday of the Canadian GP.

It confirms that the intention is to race them from Silverstone. The statement reads as follows:

The Formula One teams will have an opportunity to test the new range of Pirelli P Zero tyres during free practice at the Canadian Grand Prix, while the tyres used for the actual race will remain in their original 2013 specification. 

In order to provide some testing time before any new range of tyres is introduced, the P Zero White medium and P Zero Red supersoft for Canada will be in exactly the same specification as that which the teams started the season, with no adjustments.

This new tyre will be brought to Canada as an experimental tyre for free practice, as allowed by the current regulations. Each driver will receive two sets of this new medium compound for use during Friday’s two sessions only. 

Following feedback from the teams and drivers, the new specification of tyre is then set to be introduced from the British Grand Prix at the end of June, and will remain in place until the end of the year. 

The aim of introducing the new tyre is to prevent any instances of the tread detaching itself from the structure. However, the performance and wear characteristics of the new tyre will not be significantly different, with the aim of keeping up the spectacle and retaining a strategic element to all the races.

Pirelli has moved to defuse the fuss about the Mercedes Barcelona test by postponing the planned switch to the revised rear tyres until Silverstone.

The company had intended to make the switch from steel to Kevlar belts – as used last year – for the Montreal weekend.

However, the news that Mercedes potentially gained an advantage by trying them during the test after the GP in Barcelona made the early introduction less tenable. Instead Pirelli will provide the teams with sets of the new tyres for evaluation on Friday, thus allowing everyone to sample them before the earliest introduction at Silverstone.

Nevertheless the change remains contentious because as outlined on this blog yesterday some teams have been able to gain performance by running the rear tyres on the wrong side, and have adjusted their car set-up to make it effective.

This technique will no longer be relevant because the left and right Kevlar tyres are identical, and this swapping will make no difference.

It remains to be seen whether the teams most affected will continue to argue their case with Pirelli and the FIA before Silverstone on the basis that it is a change of specification, which requires unanimous agreement. However that condition is trumped by a change on safety grounds.