Pirelli says it can bring boring processions back to F1 if asked

In the wake of a fresh debate about the impact the tyres are having on the sport - and Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz claiming F1 "has nothing to do with racing anymore" - Pirelli has reiterated it is only doing what it has been asked to.

When Pirelli returned to F1 for the 2011 season, it was asked to spice up the show and deliver multiple stop races with high degrading rubber, just like the famous 2010 Canadian Grand Prix.

Paul Hembery, its motorsport boss, is aware his company is facing criticism for what is happening on track right now, but he has made it clear that those calling for a radical overhaul need to be sure about exactly what they are hoping for.

"What do you want?" he said. "We were asked to provide two to three stops and replicate Canada [2010].

"I know some of you would like us to do a one stop race where tyres are not a factor, and you can go back to processional racing where the qualifying position is the end position, if that is what you want in racing.

"What do you want us to do? You tell us, we will do it."

Hembery suggested that his company was baffled about why the tyre situation was being viewed as so extreme this year, when it has been no different ever since it returned to F1 in 2011.

"It is rather bizarre because we are only doing what we did in the last two years," he said.

"We don't understand why you [the media] are all so excited.

"It is a bit bizarre - unless you all want us to give tyres to Red Bull to help them win the championship, which appears to be the case.

"I think it is pretty clear. There is one team who will benefit from a change and that is them."

Red Bull's RB9 is widely believed to be the car that produces the most downforce in Formula 1 this year, but it cannot make use of all that peak performance because it puts the tyres under too much stress.

The nature of the challenge of looking after tyres means cars that are more mechanically sympathetic like the Lotus and Ferrari are better equipped when it comes to being consistent in the races.