F1 is heading for a collision course in the next few weeks as voting is set to take place on the controversial tyre blanket ban with drivers and Pirelli still split on the matter.
F1 are hoping to ban electric tyre blankets in a bid to improve sustainability, but George Russell and Charles Leclerc expressed safety concerns after a test in Barcelona.
“There will be accidents, I have no doubt about that,” Russell said.
Leclerc added: “To be completely honest, I don’t think we as a sport are capable of using these tyres in a racing scenario.”
Pirelli have since hit back at the concerns, calling on F1 drivers to ‘adapt their driving style’.
“We think the tyre is race-ready, otherwise we wouldn’t have approved it for review,” Simone Berra said.
“You have to change the driving style on the first lap, you have to adapt the driving style to protect the tyres […]. I respect the drivers’ opinion, but of course there will be differences compared to the old product and the current tire management .”