Share

Verstappen: 'We didn't do anything wrong' - F1 drivers boycott Pirelli meeting in France

accreditation
0:00
play article
Subscribers can listen to this article
Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing kicks his tyre as he reacts after crashing during the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on June 06, 2021 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing kicks his tyre as he reacts after crashing during the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on June 06, 2021 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

The 'bad feelings' towards Pirelli since the Azerbaijan GP shows no signs of abating with all 20 F1 drivers boycotting a meeting with them on Friday in France.

That was first reported by leading Dutch outlet De Telegraaf, who say they have had several paddock insiders confirm to them that a proposed meeting between Pirelli and the drivers did not go ahead as they refused to turn up.

This was later confirmed by Sky F1 during their live Friday practice broadcast from Paul Ricard.

The aftermath of the two huge high-speed crashes for Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll during the race has turned into a complex blame game.

Red Bull and Aston Martin have both insisted they were not at fault for the tyre blow-outs that ultimately caused the crashes, but Pirelli say, while not breaking any rules, the two respective teams did run lower tyre pressures than expected in Baku.

Max Verstappen in particular was very critical of Pirelli during his media duties ahead of the French Grand Prix, but Pirelli boss Mario Isola has continued to offer an olive branch to him if he wants to talk further about it.

"I understand that Max is angry," Isola said in France.

"But he also knows that I'm always available for questions."

In an attempt to avoid a similar incident at Paul Ricard, Pirelli have raised the minimum pressure levels again by a further two psi.

"We can't do much more," Isola added.

"We know that teams are going to run with lower pressures, so this is the only solution.

"We haven't said that these teams are doing something that is against the rules. But when we see that the tyres worked in a certain way, this means that the teams have found a way to achieve this.

"How they did it, you'll need to ask them."

But, when Verstappen was asked, the response is still a defiant one.

"Our team complied with all the tyre pressure requirements," Verstappen insisted.

"They say they have no way to monitor pressures during the race, but we gave them our data.

"If their instructions are incorrect, we can't do anything about that. We go to the limits of course, but Pirelli can't blame us for that.

"Just like Aston Martin, we didn't do anything wrong."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE