Criticism from certain teams plus growing complaints from some sections of the media and fans have led Pirelli to announce that they will change the tyres from the Canadian Grand Prix onwards. The new range is set to combine elements from the 2012 and 2013 tyres with the aim of having both durability and performance but what will the real consequences of the change be?

Red Bull owner, Dietrich Mateschitz is the latest to wade into the Pirelli discussion after watching Sebastian Vettel struggle to a fourth place finish in Spain. According to Autosport, the Red Bull boss was locked in a 45 minute private discussion with Bernie Ecclestone and then followed this up with scathing comments about Pirelli’s tyres.

Go back to 2011 and everyone seemed to be in love with Pirelli. It was a season that featured entertaining race after entertaining race, for the first half of the year at least, even if the championship itself failed to live up to their heights. Now, four races into their third season since returning to Formula One, the relationship seems to have cooled, with a growing group criticising the tyre supplier. So what has changed?

The behaviour of the tyres is influenced by a variety of parameters, which affect their performance and degradation. The car set-up, the aerodynamic balance, grip levels and driving style are all key factors that have an important effect on the tyres.

Aerodynamics play a crucial role in the development of modern Formula One cars and the tyres form about 25-30% of the whole picture. For this reason, Pirelli gives all the teams replica tyres to use in their wind tunnels and for development…

With rain forecast this weekend, Pirelli’s new Cinturato Green Intermediate and Cinturato Blue Wet tyres could take centre stage. Here’s the low-down on how the tyres have changed from last year…