F1’s plan to lower tyre blanket temperatures for 2023 falls through following Pirelli’s recent discovery
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Pirelli CEO Mario Isola
The rules and regulations for 2022 F1 season were meant to wipe the slate clean and give all the teams an equal chance at developing a good car and ensure that it can compete at the top. Apart from this, one of the main goals included the incorporation of closer racing. Along with the plan for major changes for this season, the sport had also planned on a few changes to be incorporated gradually.
This is where the topic of tyre blankets comes into place. F1 had planned on lowering their temperatures from 70° C to 50° C for next year but it seems like that plan has gone into shambles. The reason behind this move is the sport’s drive towards sustainability wherein they plan to abandon tyre blankets completely for 2024. However it was clear from the start that the drivers had problems with this decision.
During the races in the US and Mexico, Pirelli conducted tyre tests for 2023 where drivers made it clear that they were unhappy with the end results. After listening to driver comments from Austin, Pirelli conducted an experiment in Mexico where they tyres were heated up at 70° for 2 hours instead which proved to be a massive game changer. Mario Isola went on to talk about this.
Mario Isola talks about F1’s plans regarding the tyre blankets
Pirelli’s motorsport boss explained the whole situation to Autosport. “the plan is still not to have a blanket, for next year the investigation said that if you warm the tyres at 70°C for two hours and not three hours, you save more energy than the blankets at 50°C for three hours.” “Because this is the period of blanket that is using a lot more energy – it’s like the oven at home,” he said.
“So, if you switch it on, you have a first phase where you go up to the required temperature and then it’s stabilised.
“But to keep the temperature at the level you want, you need to use energy. So, that’s the point,” he continued.
Later on, Mario Isola went on to present Pirelli’s findings post FP2 in Mexico to the F1 drivers who agreed that it was best for the sport to heat the tyres hotter but for a shorter period. This approach seemed to be the more feasible one compared to others and also ensured driver safety. The Pirelli boss further went on to talk about the tyre supplier’s plans moving forwards.
F1 and Pirelli likely to take this approach in 2023
“For me it’s a sensible solution,” said Isola. “As I said, we also save more energy. Now, we have to analyse all the data [from the heating approach ahead of the Mexico test] because the test was [only last] Friday. The [rest of the] plan is to find the five compounds we want to homologate for 2023,” he said.
“[Then] bring the final version of the tyres to Abu Dhabi for the post-season test, so the drivers can test the final range of compounds. And to propose a full 2023 strategy of [tyre blanket heating] two hours at 70°C. That’s the plan for the moment,” he further went on to explain.
Pirelli has presented this idea to FIA and F1 where they have received positive feedback. With that being said, the plan to abandon tyre changes for 2024 is rock solid. This basically means that either the tyre supplier will have to make new compounds to better adjust to the rules or else the teams will have to make drastic changes to their designs in order to adjust to changes that will be incorporated in 2024.
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Varad Joshi
(940 Articles Published)