Interlagos Chaos, FIA and Pirelli Under Fire
The exchange between Lewis Hamilton and Stefano Domenicali after the missed Interlagos qualifying on Saturday, November 2, brought to light an issue that drivers have tried to highlight, but with little success. When Hamilton asked for better wet tires and tire blankets, he had a valid point, as fans were forced to wake up at dawn to watch qualifying.
During the Brazilian weekend, Formula 1 faced a major challenge with full wet tires: both qualifying and the race were plagued by red flags. The wet tires are simply not up to the task: when track conditions called for full wets, those on intermediates struggled to stay on track (when Franco Colapinto tried to accelerate to catch up to the Safety Car, he hit the wall), while those who risked using the blue-banded full wets were thwarted by red flags. Compared to intermediates, the wet tires have an extremely narrow usage window, and their use exacerbates visibility issues due to the large amount of water spray created as cars pass. This results in race control often having to interrupt the Grand Prix when full wets are needed.
Fernando Alonso’s comments
On this issue, Fernando Alonso, who has raced in many wet conditions, was clear: “The conditions weren’t ideal, but we don’t even have proper Formula 1 tires,” he remarked to DAZN. “When it rains a bit, there’s always aquaplaning and accidents. Sometimes we can’t even follow the Safety Car. We need to improve this aspect.”
The criticism is clearly directed at Pirelli, and motorsport director Mario Isola admitted that the Italian manufacturer will need to improve their wet tires. However, Pirelli is just a supplier, and it’s also up to the FIA to demand a shift in direction to find a better balance between intermediate and full wet tires.
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