Pirelli warns against wet weather gamble

Formula One tire supplier Pirelli says teams will not be able to gamble on using wet tires for long on a drying track at this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix, as the rubber will blister and degrade very quickly.

Formula One tire supplier Pirelli says teams will not be able to gamble on using wet tires for long on a drying track at this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix, as the rubber will blister and degrade very quickly.

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The high probability of a wet qualifying session or race is a cause of concern for F1 teams, as very little testing has been done on new tire supplier Pirelli's wet and intermediate tires ahead of the season.

Should there be rain, many teams may gamble as the track dries by staying out on wets before switching directly to slick tires, thereby skipping an extra pitstop to put on intermediates, but Pirelli motorsport chief Paul Hembery said Friday that such a move would likely backfire.