Tyre blankets set to be BANNED from 2024 in F1 after a monumental decision
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Tyre Blankets in F1
When the Formula 1 broadcast starts, viewers are greeted with the view of drivers in their cars on the grids, with ‘blankets’ around the tyres held on by mechanics. These are intended to keep the temperature within the tyres, as tyres going cold never does end well for anyone. However, they are on track to disappear from the grid from 2024 onwards.
Tyre blankets have been in the sport for a long time, but there had already been many discussions and ideas about banning them. This ban was intended to take form with the advent of the new regulations and the new 18-inch tyres, but it was delayed. Some teams had been arguing against the idea of the ban.
While the ban hasn’t taken place yet, there has been some progress towards decreasing the effectiveness of the tyre blankets. The temperature of the tyre blankets has been dropped from 100 for the fronts and 80 for the rears to 70 degrees celsius, and this will be further decreased by another 20 degrees next year.
Tyres will need a change in construction to go with the tyre blanket ban
As reported by The Race, Mario Isola, Pirelli’s head of F1, has said that the tyre manufacturer had asked for the change to be gradual: “It was our request to do that step-by-step because it [the tyre warmer ban] is a big change for the construction and the compound.”
He further added: “There is a common idea that we just need to design different compounds and everything is fixed. It’s not like that, because with these cars and their performance, we estimate an increase in pressure from cold to hot that could be more than 12psi. And that makes the footprint completely different.”
He further explained that this means that they will have to start at a pressure of 20psi, and so in order to accommodate this, they have to make a new construction so that the footprint is more stable with changes in pressure. As such, they basically have to design tyres which work from 20 degrees celsius up to 120-130 degrees celsius.
“We are working mainly on the materials and the geometry more than the profile because when you change the profile, you have a big impact on the downforce of the car. It is clear that when you change some elements in the construction, even if you don’t change the whole profile, you have a slight change in the tyre itself. But usually, this is limited.”
However, there is still quite a long way to go in the development of the 2024 tyres. Testing has been limited and focused on the 2023 tyres. Right now, there is no tangible or real expectation for how the cars will work without the tyre blankets and the new ‘construction’ of the tyres.
Also Read: ‘I have an expiry date,’ Fernando Alonso realistic about his future in Formula 1
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