George Russell has openly condemned the performance of Pirelli’s tyres in Formula 1 for 2024.
Pirelli, the Italian manufacturer, has been the sport’s sole tyre supplier since 2011, and last year extended its contract through 2027, with the possibility of an additional year.
While the quality of Pirelli’s tyres has faced scrutiny in the past, Russell, a driver for Mercedes, says he has been noticing significant issues with tyre consistency during the 2024 season.
“The first half of the race, we were 1.5 seconds off the pace,” Russell, who also serves as a senior director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), said after the Azerbaijan GP.
“In the last 20 laps, I was then a second faster than Oscar (Piastri) and Charles (Leclerc) and three tenths faster than Max (Verstappen), Checo (Perez) and Carlos (Sainz),” Russell told France’s Auto Hebdo.
“Same circuit, same driver, same car, all I did was go from a yellow tyre to a white tyre. Honestly, it’s quite maddening that it changes so much. And it’s not just Mercedes, it’s all the teams and all the drivers.
“One session you’re fast, the next you’re not. And there is only one thing that changes,” Russell said in frustration.
“I think even the people who make the tyres don’t understand them,” Russell continued.
“We all need a serious conversation about what’s going on because we’ve got 2000 people working like crazy to deliver the fastest car.
“For 20 laps of the race, we had a car that could fight for the win, for the other 20 laps we had a car that probably shouldn’t have been in the points, and the only difference is the tyres. And that’s not good enough, really,” Russell concluded.
