26/06/2023
NEWS STORY
Ahead of next month's vote on a ban on tyre blankets from next season, there remains serious doubt over safety should the ban get the green light.
In recent seasons the temperature to which tyres can be heated before use has been reduced as the sport seeks a total ban from next year as part of its sustainability drive, since the ban would reduce the amount of equipment teams have to carry around the world and reduce energy consumption.
Wet tyres that do not require pre-heating were first trialled at Monaco, and while Pirelli said that first impressions of their performance seemed in line with expectations, the Italian manufacturer admitted that in reality the demands of the Principality cannot be compared with other tracks.
However, it is dry blanket-less tyres that are really causing concern, and even after running them in the post-Barcelona test involving Mercedes and Ferrari drivers admitted their continuing doubt.
"In hindsight, it probably wasn't tested in the right conditions at the right circuit," said Grand Prix Drivers' Association director, George Russell. "I think if you go to a circuit such as Barcelona, which is quite an aggressive tarmac, it was 40-odd degree track temperature, fully rubbered in from the race weekend. The tyres were very sketchy coming out of the pit lane, but by about Turn 5 on the out lap, it was at a respectable level.
"But if I compare that in contrast with the start of the year, when I did one run in Jerez in 10-degree track temperature, it was extremely difficult getting out of the pits," he added. "And if I'm being totally honest, I don't think we as a sport are at a position yet to bring these tyres into a racing scenario.
"I would be very concerned for all the mechanics in the pit lane during a pitstop," he admitted, "I'd be very concerned for the out lap from a race in cold conditions. There will be crashes, I have no doubt about it.
"I also think there's a lot of work, expense, development going into these tyres. I feel like that could be put elsewhere," he added.
"I think it's too early (to make a decision), said Charles Leclerc, who also took part in the Barcelona test, "I don't have all the answers for now.
"I have to say that in the conditions that I had during the test, it was good, and it went well," he continued. "But yeah, in lower temperatures, I don't know. I haven't tested these tyres in lower temperatures and that's where the big question mark is.
"So, it's very difficult to answer whether I will be happy to go. I would like to maybe test those tyres in different conditions and then see whether they are raceable in all conditions. But again, it was a positive test with the conditions that we've had in Barcelona."
Asked to describe the feel of the car on the first lap out of the pits, he replied: "Well, you've got four or five corners where it's very tricky. Where the tyres need to get into temperature. When you are alone on track it is not that much of a problem. But of course, if you are racing other cars, then it becomes very, very difficult to manage. If it remains four or five corners, even in low conditions, then it's something that we could consider. But obviously with very low conditions, I expect this to be much longer, this warm-up period, and this then could become difficult."
"I think it depends on the tyre energy that you put on that specific circuit," said Fernando Alonso, who experienced blanket-less tyres in IndyCar. "Barcelona will help the tyres, some others, it will make things very difficult.
"Indy, I think you put a lot of energy in the tyres immediately and it was fine," he added. "At places like Monaco, or some others... I'm not a big fan of removing the blankets, to be honest, and I don't see the reason why."
However, Pirelli insists that it is simply a matter of drivers adapting to the difference.
"We consider the tyre raceable because otherwise, we would not have proposed it for the evaluation," the manufacturer's chief engineer, Simone Berra told The Race.
"Yes, they are raceable," he insisted. "The first sector could be tricky but apart from that it's OK. Obviously drivers need to think about the fact that not using the blankets is different than today, so they need to approach the out lap in a different way.
"In cold conditions, it could be trickier to bring the tyres up to temperature but it's just a matter of doing the first portion of the lap cautiously. In the first sector, generally we can see much more difference compared to other sectors because already sector 2 and 3 are in line with the lap times with the blankets, so it's just a matter of managing the first few corners.
"In terms of safety, I don't see from the data any specific risk. You need to change the way you are driving in the first lap, you have to adapt the driving style to protect the tyres because you can generate graining if you push too much in the first corners and the tyres are not up to temperature.
"I respect driver opinion, that's for sure, but obviously there will be differences compared to the old product and the current tyre management."
"We want a good show and we need to listen to the drivers and see what all their opinions are," said Toto Wolff. "I tend to agree with the drivers that why are we making experiments that can potentially create a safety hazard. What is it we want to achieve?
"Risk and reward," he continued, "my understanding in my life is that risk and reward need to be well measured and I don't think there is a great reward in making experiments with Formula 1 cars with drivers in there for the fun of it."
"I think the overarching idea of it is sound," argued Dan Fallows. "I think there is a great push towards sustainability in F1 and making sure that we don't have to carry excess baggage around the world and use more energy than we absolutely have to. So I think it's absolutely laudable what they're doing. And I think the idea is absolutely sound.
"In terms of the technical aspects of it, it's something that it's a vision that the FIA had, and it's something that Pirelli needs to do from their point of view. But yeah, we're very supportive of the idea of it. It's obviously just a technical challenge, which we need to play our part in helping out to see whether we can achieve it."
"I don't think it's what the drivers want," claimed his former boss at Red Bull, Christian Horner. "Let's reserve judgement until we've done a test ourselves.
"My fear with these things is that when you think you're going to achieve something simplistically that would create better racing, that there will then be a whole load of effort go into trying to heat tyres very quickly, on out-laps and so on, that could drive a lot more cost in. Everybody has tyre blankets, they do the job. I think what we should be looking at is sustainable ways of powering those tyre blankets as opposed to removing them."