Mark Webber believes the characteristics of the Pirelli tyres have made it more difficult to make consistent getaways at the starts of races this year.
Webber has suffered more than most off the startline this season and dropped from second to fourth heading into the first corner in Singapore last weekend. Some drivers such as Fernando Alonso have mastered their starts this year, but consistency has been difficult to achieve.
"This year, we have seen the biggest fluctuation in starts for years, which is purely down to the new Pirelli tyres and how they perform off the line," Webber said in his column on the BBC Sport website. "It is harder to manage the grip away from the start but if you get it right - as Fernando Alonso did in Monza - it makes a big difference. For all that, my starts have been poor this year."
And he explained that drivers still have a big part to play when engaging the clutch.
"The rules make it pretty challenging for engineers to get the starts right as launch control and other electronic aids that limit wheel-spin are not allowed," he added. "There is a lot of work for the drivers to do as well. I cannot give too much away but there are a number of procedures to go through before we get going. When the lights go out, we quickly release one clutch paddle on the steering wheel and feed in a second gradually - that's the one the driver uses to modulate the grip of the rear wheels."
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