28/08/2011
NEWS STORY
Being F1 there is always going to be a bit of controversy and sure enough, less than an hour before the start of today's Belgian Grand Prix the sport delivered its latest instalment.
A number of teams, including Red Bull, had asked if they could change the front tyres on their cars before the start of the race. They cited blistering to the tyres which - seeing as the leading ten have to start on the tyres with which they qualified - could lead to problems at the start of the race not least the need for a very early pit stop.
There was talk of them using tyres from other sets, leaving them short for the race, and even talk of Pirelli issuing extra tyres, the Italian company going to the trouble of bringing in more tyres. However, the FIA eventually ruled that tyres can only be changed if they are damaged and this is not the case.
Other than the Red Bulls, Lewis Hamilton and Jaime Alguersuari are said to have suffered blistering.