Lauda accepts Pirelli’s tyre tweak debut delay

Niki Lauda says Mercedes accepts Pirelli’s decision to delay changes to the 2013 tyres until after they are tested in Canada next Friday.

Teams like Mercedes and Red Bull had pushed hard for the changes, but some teams - notably Lotus, Ferrari and Force India - insisted the tyre supplier follow the rules about needing unanimous agreement.

Pirelli says it hopes all teams agree to the new tyres once they have tried them in Montreal next Friday.

"It’s a decision we accept, of course," Mercedes chairman Lauda told Osterreich newspaper.

"It’s so everyone gets the opportunity to test the new tyres in practice, and then it is decided if they are used at the next race at Silverstone or not."

While Red Bull and Mercedes wanted Pirelli to make fundamental changes to the new Canada tyre, it is believed the final product is simply a tweaked rear tyre that features a kevlar internal belt rather than a steel one.

"We are confident the problems of delamination will be completely solved," a Pirelli source is quoted by Spain’s Marca newspaper.

Motor sport director Paul Hembery admitted the change has been a difficult balance.

"You can imagine that some teams are complaining for us to change, and some complaining about the change," he is quoted by Brazil’s Totalrace.

"We have to try to change as little as possible, because everyone had the same information before we started the season and so it would be unfair to penalise those teams who have understood how to use the tyres," added Hembery.

Meanwhile, a source close to Pirelli has dismissed reports that the secret of using this year’s tyres is to swap the tyres from the intended left side of the car to the right.

"Since 2010, everybody has known that the Pirellis are interchangeable," the source told the Spanish sports daily Marca.

"The construction allows it, contrary to the Bridgestones.

The source said that if there is a benefit, it is for "a couple of laps" at the most.