Max Verstappen SLAMS proposed tire blanket ban, claims it will not make racing better

F1 has reportedly decided to postpone the ban of tire blankets to 2025.

Max Verstappen SLAMS proposed tire blanket ban, claims it will not make racing better

Red Bull (Credits: The Race)

The FIA has been making many decisions recently based on increasing the sustainability of the sport. One such decision was banning the use of tire blankets. These blankets help keep the tires warm, which provides the drivers with a good grip entering a race. But they are electrically powered and consume a lot of energy. Defending champion Max Verstappen has stepped forward to express his disagreement over the ban of the same.

Verstappen said that it is already difficult driving such a high-powered car out of the pits, especially when track conditions are not ideal. Banning tire blankets will make the drivers’ life much more difficult and will not improve the racing in any way whatsoever. He also believes that the blankets do not consume as much power as they are cited to.  

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“They probably can make it work but then they need to drop the working range that much that once you’re up to temperature the tyre will just be like chewing gum and the pressures will go through the roof. It will not make the racing better,” Verstappen told the media at Spa.

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“I think, anyway, now, with an out-lap, when you’re struggling so much and a car with just the warm tyres… it will look so stupid. I think the racing now sometimes out of the pits as well just having the hot tyres is brilliant and I don’t really see why we need to change that at all,” he added.

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Max Verstappen to get a five-place grid penalty in Belgium

Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen (Credits: Eurosport)

Current world champion Max Verstappen has picked up a five-place grid penalty going into the Belgian Grand Prix. This decision comes after Red Bull announced that they would be fitting a new gearbox in Verstappen’s RB-19. This means that the highest Verstappen will be able to start on Sunday will be P6.

The FIA allows a driver to go through four gearboxes in a season. Verstappen has exceeded this limit by fitting a fifth gearbox in his car in Belgium. But the Spa-Francorchamps circuit is the best for the Dutchman to bear this penalty, as the course is known for its overtaking.

Verstappen will now be looking to break Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine consecutive wins in F1. As things are, Verstappen won’t start higher than P6, meaning he will put on a remarkable over-taking show on Sunday, trying to grab his eighth consecutive race win.

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