Max Verstappen reportedly believes it would be a good idea for Pirelli to leave the C6 tyre, the softest in the Formula 1 tyre collection, at home in the future. The Dutchman made this statement in Baku, where it became apparent during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that the ultra-soft rubber is (once again) not performing as intended. “I think I’ll have a word with Pirelli,” he said.
Verstappen is not angry or anything of the sort; his mood regarding the performance of the softest of all compounds can best be described as surprised. In Baku, it became clear this weekend that drivers – Verstappen’s sentiment is widely shared in the paddock – can do little to nothing with the C6. Is this only in the final part of, for example, a fast lap? “No,” the Dutchman shakes his head, “from the very beginning.”
And so, he would like to have a conversation with Pirelli. Verstappen gets along well with the Italians, for example, his greeting with Mario Isola on Thursday was warm. But the C6 is worth discussing. “Perhaps they could just leave that tyre at home. It doesn’t work here, and it didn’t earlier this season in Monaco. And I don’t think it did in Imola and Montreal either.”
The intention of introducing the C6 was to provide more spectacle in a race, for example, by requiring an extra pit stop. “But,” Verstappen argues, “I think it would be better to just enforce two stops. Instead of bringing a tyre that is no better than what you have.”
