Mercedes is controlling the tires this year

 
Mercedes technical director Bob Bell said the problems with heating the tires of their cars were a thing of the past. This year’s Pirelli tires are expected to be more predictable than last year, although all teams had a lot of trouble degrading. Mercedes had the most problems last year precisely because of this phenomenon, but Bell is confident it will be different this year. “Although we didn’t show it, we learned a lot about tires last season and what it takes to make the most of them. Our form did not show this for several reasons. But we started this season with an awareness of what we need to change to solve these problems. I hope we confirmed during the winter tests that we saved them.

So we are starting this season in better shape, as well as with more experience with tires, and how we have to deal with them, ”said Bell, who admitted that this year's tires caused a lot of headaches among engineers. “The properties of tires change quickly, they are difficult to understand, so it will be difficult to use them optimally this year as well. It’s a different structure and compound, which means we’ll run into even more tire problems. However, I think the teams have learned how to solve these problems. The shock will be much smaller than at the beginning of last season, ”explains Bell.