Lotus wants Pirelli to keep ’tender’ tyres

Lotus has admitted it is opposed to Pirelli making radical changes to its 2013 tyres.

After Australia and Malaysia, when the behaviour of the Italian marque’s new heavily-degrading range became clear, some top teams - notably Red Bull and Mercedes - said they want Pirelli to make changes as soon as possible.

"Certain teams are keen for a switch back to last year’s rubber," Lotus technical director James Allison confirmed, "but teams will always push for what’s in their best interest."

Indeed, Kimi Raikkonen won in Melbourne with the impressive new black E21, and so Allison said Lotus obviously wants the status quo to remain.

"We feel the current tyres make for entertaining racing, but then we would say that as our car tends to prosper when the tyres are tender," he admitted.

Pirelli has promised to "review" the situation after next weekend’s Bahrain grand prix, warning however that it will only make notable changes if the overwhelming majority of teams demand action.