Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas rubbished the accusation that Pirelli’s new tyres favoured its car during the qualifying session after Mercedes suddenly locked out the front row for the first time this season. Pirelli found in pre-season testing that the new asphalt at Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya produced more grip and less tyre wear, which means more rubber stayed on the tyre which in turn can lead to surface overheating. Even if most teams were opposed to the change, Pirelli and Mercedes pushed through the change on safety ground. The tread depth got reduced by 0.4 millimetres which should eliminate the overheating issues. As Great Britain’s...
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