MANAMA — Formula One tire suppliers Pirelli has decided against using its soft tires at this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix after concern about how quickly they wear out. A spokeswoman said the decision was made after last month's Malaysian Grand Prix, where the track is similar in characteristics to Bahrain, to bring the hard and medium compounds rather than hard and soft. The medium and soft options were used in China last weekend, with some drivers doing the minimum number of laps in the faster but far less durable softs. Seven laps in the race, won by Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, was the longest anyone did on the soft tires. The original allocation for Bahrain was decided in December, long before the start of winter testing. Soft and medium were used last year, with drivers having to use both. Bahrain is a fast-flowing layout made more abrasive by the sand blowing in from the nearby desert. Tire degradation is expected to be reasonably high. “It's one of the most demanding tracks of the year for the tires, mostly because of the high ambient and track temperatures. We expect about three stops per car,” said Pirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery in a race preview. Perez needs to be tough, says Whitmarsh McLaren new boy Sergio Perez has been told by team boss Martin Whitmarsh to use his elbows and make life harder for Formula One rivals. “I think he's been very polite so far this year, I think he needs to toughen up,” Whitmarsh told reporters after the Mexican finished a disappointing 11th in Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. “I think he's been generous in allowing people past him. He was a bit more robust today.” Perez had a coming together with Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen on the track on lap 16, with the usually glacial Finn sufficiently exercised to exclaim heatedly over the team radio about the youngster's behavior. The incident damaged Raikkonen's front wing and prevented the 2007 champion challenging for the victory, eventually finishing second behind Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. Stewards looked at the evidence and decided to take no further action rather than punishing Perez for this weekend's race in Bahrain. The Mexican has scored two points in three races so far. — Agencies
