Sebastian Vettel was one of the first to change from wet tires to intermediate tires at the 2022 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix and the strategy did not work as expected, causing him to lose time on a slippery track and finally crossing the finish line in 11th. Market Stall.
However, thanks to Esteban Ocon being penalized for a collision with Lewis Hamilton, the Aston Martin driver moved up one position and managed to score a point.
“Anything could happen in this race, but for me everything was simple and clear,” said the German after crossing the checkered flag. “We add a point, which is never bad. We are in Monte Carlo, where it is impossible to overtake, and with the rain there is only one valid trajectory”.
“Based on our pace I don’t think we can finish any higher. The first lap was really tough, the wet tires weren’t working for us so we were quick to change them.”
Looking at it more coldly, switching to intermediate tires so hastily was a mistake, but during the race it was the logical step: “We made a pit stop so early because we had to try,” explained the four-time Red Bull champion.
“Looking back, we can say that it would have been nice to have lasted longer on the wet tyres. But our car was going very slowly.”
“These tires did not work in these conditions as they are too hard for this track. What can you say about them, even if they are too hard for a circuit like Imola. They are just useless.”
After being critical of Pirelli’s tyres, Vettel compared the current wet compounds with those used in Formula 1 before Pirelli’s arrival, an assessment that did not favor the Italian supplier.
“I remember well the races in the rain in 2008, like for example Monza (when the German took his first F1 win), or China in 2009 and a few more. I think it’s just not possible to race with the tires current [rain]”.
Until the end of the 2010 season, F1’s official tire supplier was Bridgestone , which was replaced by Pirelli in 2011 and which has had no competition within motorsport’s top flight since then. Currently, the Formula 1 and Pirelli contract runs until the end of 2024.
