Citroen's
Sebastien Loeb is calling for change in the aftermath of the Rally Argentina - and has said that the new tyre regulations need to be re-thought.
All the drivers' in WRC cars had to use Pirelli's hard compound Scorpion gravel tyre in Cordoba, in accordance with the latest FIA regulations and while Pirelli conceded prior to the off that the choice was 'not without its drawbacks', there was no 'Plan B' to fall back on.
Indeed despite appalling weather conditions, with torrential downpours and lots and lots of mud, competitors were left with exactly the same tyre as if it had been dry and sunny.
Loeb believes that that they should be able to make cuts to the rubber in such circumstances and is concerned that under the current format there is now a real safety risk.
"I think the tyres we have are really good. There were no punctures here, the tyres were very strong. In Mexico it was the same, but to do Greece in summer when it's 40 degrees and to do Argentina today with the conditions we had with the same tyre it's impossible," he explained.
"It's not a question of the tyre. The tyre is good but it is not adapted to the conditions we had and that's because of the regulations. I think we should find a compromise on that.
"Okay, last year we had five different compounds to use in different situations, now we only have one, and last year we could cut and now we can't do anything. Okay we accept to drive this hard tyre, even when it's wet it's not so bad, but maybe if we could have a cut it could be much safer.
"If it's the same for everybody it's not an advantage for anyone - and it's for that, for the safety we ask."
Pirelli's rally manager Mario Isola meanwhile said on day two that it was not up to them to say whether or not cuts should be permitted.
"The decision to run the hard compound Scorpion tyres here was validated by the
FIA," he reiterated.
"The decision to permit cuts in our tyres can be taken only by the FIA's technical stewards. Then it would be up to the teams themselves to physically cut the tyres."
