Michael Schumacher continues criticizing Pirelli
The 7-time World Champion is still unhappy with Pirelli’s tyres.
Just under three weeks after the Bahrain Grand Prix, and 7-time World Champion Michael Schumacher is unrelenting in his criticism of Pirelli’s tyres. The German driver has likened these tyres to ‘driving of raw eggs’, and believes it’s playing too much of a big effect on the racing.
The Pirelli tyres for 2012 have undoubtedly provided the fans with an exciting opening four races, however Michael Schumacher believes they detract from the racing as the 7-time World Champion says you can’t overdo it during the race.
"I just think that they’re playing a much too big effect because they are so peaky and so special that they don’t put our cars or ourselves to the limit," said Michael Schumacher, in an interview with CNN. "We drive like on raw eggs and I don’t want to stress the tires at all. Otherwise you just overdo it and you go nowhere."
Whereas Michael Schumacher’s team-mate Nico Rosberg has already won a race in 2012, Schumacher currently lies 18th in the Drivers’ Championship with only 2 points. The German could well have already finished on the podium this season, however misfortune has plagued him so far in 2012.
McLaren’s Martin Whitmarsh is also joining Michael Schumacher in speaking out against Pirelli’s tyres, after his two drivers’ (Button and Hamilton) suffered greatly with tyre degradation throughout the Bahrain Grand Prix.
However, the amount of people who prefer the Pirelli tyres greatly outweigh those who dislike them, with even Schumacher’s team-mate Nico Rosberg having contrasting views on the subject.
"I find it a big challenge for us drivers and an interesting challenge. It’s different but very interesting," Explained Nico Rosberg to CNN. "This tire management, getting the most out of it, understanding when to push, when to take it easy. It’s so on a knife’s edge with the tires that it’s good and it’s great for racing. It’s great, it’s mixed everything up, lots of overtaking, lots of things happening, fantastic for everybody."
Whether Michael Schumacher would agree it’s ‘fantastic for everybody’ is highly questionable. As we head into the fifth round of the World Championship at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, it looks as though Pirelli’s tyres are set to be the major talking factor once again.
Follow me on Twitter - @AndyYoungF1