Hamilton expresses safety concerns over Mercedes tire testing ban
Lewis Hamilton has voiced his concern at the dangers being faced by Mercedes in missing next week’s young driver test.
Mercedes are banned from the event at Britain's Silverstone circuit from July 17-19 as a penalty imposed for breaking the rules in running their 2013 car – with Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at the wheel – at a Pirelli tyre test in Spain in May.
The young driver test, however, is now also open to race drivers for one day, but only to conduct running on Pirelli’s new specification of tyre due to be introduced from the Hungarian Grand Prix later this month.
That follows a series of high-speed blowouts that occurred during the British Grand Prix at Silverstone 11 days ago.
On the grounds of safety, as Mercedes believe it is vital they obtain some data about the new tyre before heading to Budapest, the Brackley -based team has lobbied to do some running, although as yet there has been no official word.
Expressing his disappointment at the situation, Hamilton said: “I don’t know if people fully appreciate how big a negative it is for us not to do the test.
“We are going to go to Hungary when other people have gone and tested (the new tyres with) different ride-heights, different pressures, got their car ready for a long run so they arrive ready.
“We don’t have any of that information so when we get there we’re going to go into it blind.
“We shouldn’t be in this position in sport, but that’s the way it is.”
