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Formula 1 Austrian GP
Button concerned over 'unbelievably' high tyre pressures
Jenson Button fears Formula 1 drivers will face a frustrating time at the Austrian Grand Prix dealing with graining of their front tyres thanks to the 'unbelievably' high pressures laid down by Pirelli.
Jonathan Noble
Edited: Jun 30, 2016, 6:46 PM
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Pirelli has imposed minimum limits of 22psi at the front and 19.5psi at the rear for the Red Bull Ring, and former world champion Button is far from impressed about what that means.
"We are 4psi higher on the front pressures here, which is unbelievably high considering we didn't have any issues here last year," he explained.
Button believes that the high pressures will have consequences in terms of tyre wear, and means the limiting factor to performance will be graining, especially with the front tyres so badly punished around the track.
"It is the type of corners you have here – the high speed and mid-speed corners, all the lefts," he said.
"You will be loading the front right a lot and a lot of people will be struggling with graining on every tyre, so it is going to be tough and controlling that will be tricky."
He added: "Front graining is going to be a massive issue, so that is tough considering we have soft, super soft and ultra soft here. It is going to make the weekend reasonably tough for everyone.
"So it is about cooling as much as you can and driving in a certain way and running loads of engine braking. It is a shame but is a fun place to drive, proper old school…."
Pirelli concerns
Button understands why Pirelli is having to impose such high limits, but says that does not ease the frustration of what happens when you cannot get the tyres working.
"You overheat the tyre and nothing works," he said. "It doesn't matter how much downforce you have got sometimes, the straights never change but the corners do. It is tough.
"At the end of last year I thought we would have lower pressures this year, we were told we would have lower pressures, and we haven't – so it is really difficult. They are not in a range where they work, I think. Maybe for one lap, but after that…
"I think the issue is Pirelli are seeing very low pressures behind a safety car and at certain instances of the race because people are doing certain things. So, I think that is why they are putting the pressures up and why the minimum pressure is higher."
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