The 2023 Dutch Grand Prix was inarguably one of the most nerve-wracking race weekends of the decade, with the element of uncertainty prevailing until the chequered flag on Sunday afternoon. However, the changeable conditions at Zandvoort also ended up exposing Pirelli’s biggest weakness in Formula 1; the near-pointless availability of blue-marked wet tires, and George Russell has finally earned the courage to condemn the Italian manufacturers.
F1 hasn’t encountered a dry weekend since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this year, meaning Pirelli was obliged to deliver effective intermediate and wet tires. While the intermediate tires received a whole lot of applause for their ability to clear water and prevent throwing sprays in the air, the extreme wet weather tires have proved to be nothing but a liability to the teams and drivers.
Max: That’s a bit silly why the red flag?
GP: “I tell you why. Unfortunately you, Checo and Ocon where the only ones that pitted the wet tyre. Nobody wants to fit a wet tyre thats the situation we are in”
Spot on GP🎯 #DutchGP #MaxVerstappen #F1 pic.twitter.com/PKn5nAbHW2
— Max33support (@max33support) August 27, 2023
Furthermore, Pirelli had the perfect opportunity to establish the importance of wet tires at the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend amidst erratic weather conditions. But, quite unfortunately, all it did was further uncover the Italian tire maker’s failed attempt at portraying the blue-marked tire compound as a compliant option for the teams.
Hence, amidst the useless availability of the heaviest tire compound, Russell opened up that Pirelli must either rectify the flaws or remove wet tires from F1 altogether.
George Russell admits red flag is better than using wet tires in tricky conditions
The Mercedes F1 driver admitted that the FIA must continue red-flagging the sessions during appalling weather conditions and avoid enforcing the use of blue-marked wet tires. “I think they did a good job,” he said according to Planet F1. “The intermediate choice was the right one. That was purely done because the pit lane’s too narrow and they knew that everybody would be peeling in from extreme to the interest.
📰: F1 set to decide between Pirelli and Bridgestone as tire supplier for 2025-2027 season. Pirelli completes crucial wet weather tire tests at Spa-Francorchamps. Proposal for ‘super-intermediate’ tire to bridge the gap between intermediate and full wet. Decision expected this… pic.twitter.com/DM6ufB3eOL
— F1 Naija 🇳🇬 (@f1_naija) August 3, 2023
“That extreme tyre is a complete waste of time at the moment and I think it should just be parked. If the conditions are too wet for intermediates, they [should] enforce that we just have to wait until the conditions get better.”
Only three drivers opted for wet tires during the main race on Sunday – Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, and Esteban Ocon. Unfortunately, the strategy proved to be anything but effective for the trio. While Verstappen managed to retain his lead, his teammate was saved by the timely red flag.
However, Ocon, on the other hand, found himself tumbling down the order and eventually secured P10. Hence, will Pirelli find a solution to the prolonged issue with the wet weather tires? Only time will tell.