Formula 1’s latest attempt to ban the use of tyre warmers has failed after teams voted down a ban on blankets.
Further development work will be conducted with the aim of banning the use of tyre blankets at a future date.F1 hoped to persuade teams to accept a ban on the use of blankets in order to reduce the amount of freight it carries around the world and cut its energy use and carbon emissions at races. It has set a target of becoming a net zero emitter of carbon by 2030.
However several drivers voiced concerns over the safety implications of banning tyre blankets. After carrying out tests of Pirelli’s development rubber some drivers warned the changes made to allow them to be used without blankets would lead to higher pressures and operating temperatures, and therefore have a negative effect on the racing.
F1 and the FIA set a deadline to hold a vote of teams by the end of this month to decide whether tyre blankets would be banned in 2024. Following a meeting of the F1 Commission today, it has confirmed a ban will not go ahead.
F1’s official tyre supplier Pirelli has also introduced full wet weather and intermediate tyres which are designed for use without being pre-heated. These will continue to be used.
The FIA said in a statement that the tyres Pirelli had had hit “the requested target specifications” and did not give a reason why the decision had been taken to postpone the ban.
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“Consistent with the future environmental and cost saving objectives of the sport, an option to remove the use of tyre blankets has been under consideration, and the 2023 Pirelli tyre testing campaign has focused almost entirely on this objective, with expanded test days dedicated no-blankets testing.
“Pirelli reported on the outcome of this test campaign to the F1 Commission. The results of the testing undertaken so far show that the change can be implemented to the requested target specifications for 2024, however it has been decided to postpone the introduction of a tyre blanket ban for dry tyres in 2024 and to continue this discussion and further testing into 2025.
“Further analysis will continue for other potential future changes to the regulations that can improve the environmental sustainability of the sport.”
It is the latest in a series of failed attempts by F1 to ban the use of tyre warmers, which are forbidden in many other leading motorsport series including IndyCar. Previous attempted bans failed to win support in 2008, 2014 and 2018 and did not go ahead.
The FIA has also experienced difficulties banning the use of tyre warmers in other series. A ban was introduced in the World Endurance Championship this year, but temporarily lifted for the Le Mans 24 Hours following a series of crashes. It was reinstated for the next round at Monza.
This article will be updated
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2023 Belgian Grand Prix
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slowmo (@slowmo)
28th July 2023, 13:37
Teams and drivers will always want to keep anything that helps them go faster. The FIA have bottled it again in order to maintain the status quo.
S
28th July 2023, 13:40
Well, there’s a surprise….
Jere (@jerejj)
28th July 2023, 13:52
How surprising that the world’s so-called best drivers are afraid to race without blankets in high-DF cars such as F1 cars, even though drivers in Super Formula, F2, IndyCar, etc., have proven that driving with un-preheated tyres is perfectly safe in single-seaters with considerably less DF, which in theory, should make matters more risky.
floodo1 (@floodo1)
28th July 2023, 13:59
I don’t get it, using electricity is sustainable, yet they say reducing the tire warmer energy use helps make F1 more sustainable.
And if they want to reduce shipping surely there are better ideas
Justin (@megahurts)
28th July 2023, 14:15
The biggest problem is once the tyres have been heated by the blankets and not fitted to the car the heat cycle means they cant be used again. However if they don’t heat them with blankets and don’t use them on the car, they can be shipped to the next event, customs allowing.
Louie
28th July 2023, 14:09
Watch any IndyCar race. Inevitably, some car will attempt an undercut and will end up behind the car he’s pursuing after they both pit, because the undercutter needs to get up to temperature. However, after they’ve both pitted, the undercutter has warm tyres and an on-track battle ensues to try and overtake. It’s entertaining racing, and happens all the time.
I’m not sure why so many are against consistently entertaining on-track action, unless they really enjoy those wide camera shots of one care coming out of the pits and the other going down the straight.
MichaelN
28th July 2023, 14:30
Because F1 teams are all about matching their pre-race simulations about covering the GP distance in the shortest time possible, not racing. Nobody wants to race, because racing takes time and is unpredictable.
The fewer variables, the better.
juan fanger (@juan-fanger)
28th July 2023, 14:38
Yes, disappointed.
Sam
28th July 2023, 14:45
As someone who has largely abandoned F1 (back for Spa) I feel tyre warmers are one of the few things that F1 is getting right. At Spa WEC 2023 cars were typically three or four seconds a lap slower after changing tyres. No tyre warmers makes worse on track racing and worse strategy options.
melanos
28th July 2023, 22:47
Use a plutonium RITEG to heat the blankets, that comes to null CO2 emissions