Drivers find braking harder with new tyre

That is the view of Giancarlo Fisichella, who claims that one of the biggest surprises with the new rubber has been how the tyres behave under braking for corners.

"We'll get used to them with time, but at the moment the front wheels tend to always lock under strong braking," he told Italian magazine Autosprint.

"Maybe it would make sense to also make changes on the brakes, on their ventilation and their operating pressures, because if the tyres' performance and grip have changed so radically, maybe it will be necessary to adapt the braking system."

Felipe Massa has backed up Fisichella's claims, claiming that braking distances have changed dramatically as a result of the harder compound tyres.

"With less grip it's unthinkable to brake where we used to before," he said. "At Jerez, this issue was even more evident than at Barcelona.

"And to think that the tyres (in Jerez) were softer, but the difference in driving compared to the recent past is enormous."

The extent of the changes that the tyres have brought about has reiterated Massa's belief that Ferrari will have no advantage next season because of their previous knowledge of Bridgestone.

"Many things have changed," he explained. "They said we would have a great advantage for having worked with Bridgestone before, but in truth these tyres are new for everyone.

"Every team starts over from the same point."