Vettel sure to be pleased at Pirelli tyre changes

But drivers changing tyres every dozen laps or so was too much for some who are growing tired with Pirelli’s tyres that don’t last very long and require drivers to make four stops in most races.

Some fans are confused and those drivers and teams which aren’t winning, particularly Red Bull and McLaren, are vociferously demanding a change in rubber.

Ferrari and Lotus however, have said the situation is the same for all on the grid and that there is no actual problem.

However due to the sheer number of complaints, the Italian outfit have backtracked and announced they will alter their compounds of tyre from the Canadian Grand Prix onwards in two races time.

The likely benefactor of this change is Sebastian Vettel, who is worth backing sooner rather than later at 6/5, before the new tyres arrive and the German starts racking up the wins again.

It is highly plausible that new, longer lasting tyres will allow Red Bull to finally show the race pace they believe they have.

It’s bad news for Lotus who can generally get through a race with one stop fewer than others struggling around them. Negate this advantage from the team and suddenly Kimi Raikkonen’s hopes at 5/1 for a second world title seem all the more unlikely.

Alonso is 11/8 following his second win of the season in Spain, and there’s every indication so far is that they have nothing to worry about for the time being, despite the impending changes.

The news could put a smile on Lewis Hamilton’s face, who, at 25/1 is just a couple of big results off the championship leader Vettel.

Mercedes have suffered badly with high degradation, and longer lasting rubber can only be a good thing for the Brit and team-mate Nico Rosberg.