Pirelli admits tire problem after Lewis Hamilton reports to Formula 1 CEO

Formula 1 Tire supplier Pirelli admits wet weather tires need improvement after seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton expressed his concerns to Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali live before the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

The race weekend in Brazil brought several schedule changes and a shakeup to the competitive order due to heavy rainfall, leading to the cancellation and postponement of the qualifying session the next day. This prompted Hamilton to call on Stefano Domenicali to allow drivers to take to the streets in such conditions, advocating improvements to wet tires which he believes would allow safer driving even in poor visibility. He said on F1TV:

“You should have sent us.” This is funny, it’s time for us to leave. I want to go out.

“Give us the best wet tires with covers, we can run in them.”

He added jokingly:

“I’m putting you in your place!”

Hamilton’s statement was in response to the FIA’s decision to cancel Saturday’s qualifying session. This read:

“Given the current conditions in Sao Paulo, the decision was made not to continue qualifying due to poor visibility, standing water on the track and fading lights.

“Safety is always the paramount consideration in such circumstances and although as much time as possible was taken to improve conditions, unfortunately this did not happen.”

Pirelli head of motorsport Mario Isola acknowledged the need for improved wet weather tires and said an updated version would be introduced for the 2025 season. He told Autosport about this, as reported PlanetF1:

“It is true that we need to improve the wet tire performance to ensure proper crossover with the intermediate tire.

“This is our goal.

“Next year we will have a new wet tire with some minor modifications because unfortunately we haven’t had the opportunity to properly test the wet tire on a high-load track. This is exactly what we are missing.

“We changed the tread pattern a little, worked on the design and new compound. We found an improvement. I can’t tell you if that’s enough or not.”

However, Isola clarified that FIA racing director Nils Wittich’s decision to postpone qualifying was due to other factors, as wet weather qualifying was still possible with the current tyres. He explained:

“I don’t know why Nils decided not to green light the session, I don’t know if it was due to visibility, standing water, the risk of hydroplaning or some other element. I haven’t spoken to Nils, so I have no information on this matter.

“If it’s just about performance (on a wet tire), that means they drive slower, that’s all. Thus, the fastest of the slowest cars shows the best time.

“We are fully aware that we need to improve wet tire performance. But you can run on these wet tires, that doesn’t mean you can’t run.”