Official supplier Pirelli has been making preparations for F1 to abandon the use of tyre warmers from next year as part of a wider push to improve grand prix racing’s sustainability.
However, with previous attempts to ban tyre warmers having been abandoned because of the technical complexities of coming up with products that can cope with excessive temperature and pressure variations, the change for 2024 is not yet guaranteed.
Pirelli has been pushing on with a private programme to develop tyres that do not need pre-warming, and it is now targeting a focused effort leading up to a post-British GP test of its latest products before a final decision will be made.
If it is happy with how things are progressing, and the FIA has no concerns about a tyre blanket ban being implemented, then it has now been agreed that the matter will be put to a vote that involves teams.
Pirelli’s head of F1 and car racing Mario Isola told Motorsport.com: “Silverstone is one of the races where we have two days of testing after the race. And the idea is that after Silverstone, we will analyse the data, and we will analyse the situation together with the teams, the FIA and F1.
“Then we will decide if we can achieve the target for 2024 or if it is necessary to postpone it.”
In newly published regulations, motor racing’s governing body said that the vote would have to be taken no later than July 31.
The rules added: “For the regulation change to be adopted successfully, the FIA, F1 and a simple majority of competitors (5 out of 10) will all have to vote in favour.”
Pirelli tyres allocated to Red Bull are sorted into blankets in the paddock
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
The stipulation for a simple majority of teams being in favour means there is no guarantee that the rule change will go ahead even if the FIA and Pirelli are happy.
Isola said it was too early to gauge how teams feel about the matter, as he acknowledged the issue was a complex one.
“I don’t have a clear feeling, and honestly it is difficult to make a prediction,” he said.
“I believe that it’s a target of everyone to go in this direction for sustainability, but clearly nobody wants to damage the show.
“I don’t want to say it’s an impossible target, because it is not an impossible target. But it’s a very big challenge.
“My feeling is that people think that it was a much bigger challenge to move from 13-inch to 18-inch wheels, and that blankets are not an issue.
“But it’s not…
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