Pirelli "listened more carefully" to Vettel's 2017 tyre feedback

Toto Wolff has suggested that Pirelli took in Sebastian Vettel's advice when it came to testing tyres last season. Vettel extensively tested the 2017 Pirelli tyres, which has been a suggestion to why Ferrari has been able to work them much better than Mercedes.

When Mercedes tested the tyres, they had young driver Pascal Wehrlein at the wheel of the car. Wolff also said that perhaps the Italian manufacturer was more inclined to listen to the feedback of a four-time world champion, rather than Wehrlein who started his first season in F1 last year.

"Our situation last year was different to Ferrari's," boss Wolff told Speed Week. "We were fully involved in the world championship battle between Nico and Lewis, and so neither of them was overly worried about the development of tyres for the future.

"But I believe that you only very rarely find the silver bullet in formula one that gives a decisive advantage. It's more about putting together a lot of small details. Perhaps the credibility of Sebastian Vettel as a developer and his statements about the tyres had an impact at Pirelli. Perhaps they listened more carefully to what an experienced driver says compared to a young driver. But I have no evidence of that. For me it's just a personal guess," Wolff added.

Fergal Walsh