Pirelli Responds to Hamilton’s ‘Protest’: ‘You Should Have Called Us Out’

The qualifying session in São Paulo on Saturday faced multiple delays before being ultimately canceled by race officials. The rain was too heavy, prompting a rescheduling to Sunday morning. Lewis Hamilton playfully expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision not to send drivers out on wet tires. Pirelli has since responded to Hamilton’s remarks.

Rain Delays and Driver Frustration

As the heavy rain continued to pour down in São Paulo, the qualifying session was repeatedly postponed. Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali took the opportunity to apologize to the gathered fans. Speaking to F1TV, the Italian executive explained that it was simply “impossible to send the drivers out under such conditions.” This statement, however, did not sit well with some drivers, particularly Hamilton.

Hamilton’s Playful Protest

Lewis Hamilton had different ideas about the situation and was not hesitant to share his thoughts with Domenicali. “You should have sent us out! This is ridiculous, we need to get on the track,” he interrupted humorously during Domenicali’s interview. Hamilton continued passionately, “If you provide us with better wet tires or tire blankets, we’ll be able to run in these conditions. I’m putting you on the spot!”

Pirelli’s Response

While Hamilton’s protest was light-hearted, tire supplier Pirelli took the comments seriously. Mario Isola, head of Pirelli Motorsport, acknowledged that improvements need to be made to wet tire performance in order to create an effective balance with the intermediate tires. Speaking to Motorsport.com, he stated, “It is true that we need to enhance the performance of the wet tires to achieve a good crossover with the intermediates.”

Future Improvements in Tire Technology

If all goes according to plan, Pirelli aims to introduce a new wet tire in 2025. Isola revealed, “Next year, we will unveil an upgraded wet tire featuring minor adjustments due to the unfortunate lack of opportunity for comprehensive testing on a challenging circuit.” He added that they have modified the tread pattern and worked on both the construction and a new compound. “We believe we have achieved some improvements. However, I can’t confirm if it will be sufficient as of yet.”