Pirelli: Don’t blame us if season is boring

Pirelli motorsport boss Paul Hembery has said they will not be to blame if the 2017 season fails to excite, insisting they are just doing what they have been told.

The tyre manufacturer have been asked to produce much bigger wheels in the hope that drivers will be able to push their cars to the limit without the threat of heavy degradation.

But Hembery, speaking at Pirelli’s official launch in Turin, was quick to distance the supplier from any blame should the new rules and regulations lead to an uneventful season.

“You can’t please everyone and you can only go in one of two directions,” Hembery said to Autosport.

“We did something from the outset which was desired [high-degradation tyres from 2011], then there was a decision to go in another direction.

“We’re just following what the sport asks us. All we ask is that they tell us what they want.

“There’s no point in complaining that we deliver what we have been asked to deliver.

“As a sport we’re moving in a different direction, and if it works as people say then we should get good racing.”

Pirelli are also sticking by their prediction that lap times will be reduced by five seconds in the upcoming season, and Hembery also believes that one-stop pit strategies will become the norm.

He added: “You come in to the pits either because of performance loss [degradation] or wear, and in this case we are reducing both.

“We’ll see a lot more one-stop races but if we deliver with the aerodynamic package cars that are closer together, and the tyre’s not overheating on the surface, drivers will be able to push and lead to a scenario where overtaking is improved.”