Tyre temperatures “really dangerous” behind Safety Car

Formula 1 drivers were concerned about the state of their tyres during the first Safety Car period at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The Safety Car was deployed for the first time in reaction to Lando Norris’ crash on lap two. He lost control at turn 11 when his car bottomed out in the fast left-hander. The Safety Car drove especially slowly past the scene of Norris’s crash.

Due to the Safety Car’s slow pace, plus low track temperatures and the lack of grip on the circuit at the start of the race, tyre temperatures plunged. Several drivers were warned their tyres temperatures had fallen to levels they hadn’t experienced throughout the weekend at the new Las Vegas Strip Circuit.

“It was really dangerous under the Safety Car,” said George Russell. “The tyres were rock-solid and they were colder than you’d experience in the rain, really. So that was to be expected here, in these conditions.”

Several drivers told their teams the Safety Car needed to increase its pace, including Carlos Sainz Jnr.

“At turn one on the Safety Car restart was like driving on ice,” said the Ferrari driver. “We need to find a solution, I think, to make the Safety Car a bit quicker in these certain scenarios.

“I cannot explain how it feels to go 340 [kph] and know that when you’re going to hit the brake, that thing is not going to stop. It was very tricky.”

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

During the Safety Car period Pierre Gasly warned his team “it’s going to be a chaos if they don’t increase the pace.” Although the restart passed without incident, he said the temperatures were too low, and F1 should consider holding the race closer to daylight hours when the track will be warmer.

“It was quite sketchy with this temperature,” said Gasly. “So if we can see a bit of sunlight in the next few years, that will not be a bad thing.

“The restarts and the Safety Car were a bit tricky. But you need a first time and I’m sure we learn from what we’ve seen this year.”

What they said on the radios

Race leaders Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc also expressed concerns over how cold their tyres were getting and urged the Safety Car to speed up.

At one stage Leclerc even wondered if he’d seen footage on a trackside video screen of someone crashing under the Safety Car period, until he realised he’d been watching a replay.