Pirelli ’listened to Vettel’ about 2017 tyres

"Our situation last year was different to Ferrari’s"

By GMM

11 June 2017 - 12:36
Pirelli 'listened to Vettel'

Toto Wolff has denied Sebastian Vettel gave Ferrari a big head-start in his bid for the 2017 title.

With Ferrari revelling on Pirelli’s new tyres and Mercedes often struggling, some see a link between Vettel’s close involvement with the Italian supplier’s 2017 development programme.

Mercedes, on the other hand, did most of its Pirelli development work with Pascal Wehrlein at the wheel.

"Our situation last year was different to Ferrari’s," boss Wolff told Speed Week.

"We were fully involved in the world championship battle between Nico and Lewis, and so neither of them was overly worried about the development of tyres for the future.

"But I believe that you only very rarely find the silver bullet in formula one that gives a decisive advantage. It’s more about putting together a lot of small details.

"Perhaps the credibility of Sebastian Vettel as a developer and his statements about the tyres had an impact at Pirelli. Perhaps they listened more carefully to what an experienced driver says compared to a young driver.

"But I have no evidence of that. For me it’s just a personal guess," Wolff added.

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