- Bahrain Grand Prix
De la Rosa plays down tyre performance reports
ESPNF1 Staff
March 11, 2010
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Sauber's Pedro de la Rosa in Bahrain © Getty Images
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Sauber driver Pedro de la Rosa has played down reports that his team may have a tyre advantage over its rivals in Bahrain for the opening race of the Formula One season.
A Bridgestone official said earlier this week that the Sauber has proved better than all its rivals in terms of looking after its tyres on long runs, which could prove a significant strategic advantage in relation to the new ban in race refuelling.
But de la Rosa, speaking at the Sakhir circuit on Thursday, said the conditions expected in Bahrain will differ greatly from those experienced during Barcelona testing.
"I don't think that the tyre information is that relevant because we come from winter testing where the track temperatures were very low and now we come to reality," he said. "The way the teams use the tyres will change dramatically from how it was in Barcelona. We can only judge by what I feel and looking at the data on our car. We are quite happy with the tests that we've done."
And team boss and founder Peter Sauber was also of the opinion that the dusty Sakhir circuit would offer a very different proposition: "I've said it many times: interpreting the results of testing is like reading tea leaves. After all these years I have become quite cautious."
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