Sebastian Vettel has diluted the conspiracy theory about why Pirelli’s tyres suddenly changed ahead of the Spanish grand prix.
Some, including Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko, mused openly that Mercedes successfully lobbied to have the tread of the tyres made thinner.
The result was Ferrari suddenly struggling last weekend in Barcelona, while Lewis Hamilton went on to win and extend his championship lead.
But after testing the old versus new tyres back to back in Barcelona on Tuesday, Ferrari driver Vettel backed Pirelli’s decision.
"If we had used those (old tyres at the grand prix) it would have been worse. They blistered very seriously and could have caused serious problems.
"It was right to bring the thinner tread," the German is quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"Our mistake was that we could not get the wear out of them that our rivals did, and it’s up to us to react and work on it," Vettel added.
"We have some ideas and now we need to turn them into reality."