Hamilton wants ‘three steps softer’ tyres

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Lewis Hamilton wants 'three steps softer' tyres

Lewis Hamilton wants 'three steps softer' tyres

Although this year’s championship saw the introduction of the hypersoft tyre, Lewis Hamilton has urged Pirelli to go “three steps softer” in 2019.

This year’s campaign has been dominated by one-stop grands prix with 13 of the 16 races won by drivers on a one-stop strategy.

This has taken some of the excitement out of the strategies with more of the same expected at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Hamilton believes Pirelli can solve this problem by making their tyres softer, forcing drivers to pit more often.

“I’ve really got to keep pushing Pirelli because the tyres feel great here but this whole one-stop business is just ridiculous,” said the Friday’s pace-setter.

“Next year I reckon they’ve got to go three steps softer. Swing them all lower so we have to do at least two stops per race.”

The Mercedes driver added that running thinner treads, which Pirelli did this year for races in Barcelona, Silverstone and Paul Ricard, would combat overheating and the subsequent blistering.

“It’s going to make it a little bit more challenging, and more grip, naturally as you go to softer compounds.

“And then the thinner gauge so you have less of the thermal blisters that we see and maybe we can be able to follow and have more racing.”

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