Formula 1’s plan to ban teams from using tyre warmers has prompted warnings from some, while others believe it could work.
The series reduced the maximum operating temperature of tyre blankets to 70C this year in its first step towards phasing out the heaters by 2024.
During second practice for the United States Grand Prix last weekend drivers had the first chance to test Pirelli’s prototype rubber for 2023, when the maximum temperature will fall to 50C. Max Verstappen was among those who was concerned by what he discovered.
“It was not enjoyable,” said the world champion. “I drove on 50 degrees and I almost spun in the pit lane already. Of course, I also had the hardest compound.”
He believes that if tyre blankets are banned entirely in 2024, and drivers have to leave their garage with tyres at ambient temperatures, “then I think we’re going to have a lot of crashes.”
“Also your tyre degradation is going to be completely different because your tyres are very cold, you’re sliding around a lot in the first few laps, your tyre pressures are going to go through the roof,” he added. “So your tyres are going to deg[rade] a lot more.”
He pointed out drivers will also face much more challenging conditions for tyre warm-up than they encountered at the Circuit of the Americas, where conditions are usually war, and the circuit has many quick corners.
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“That’s a track where you can easily switch on the tyres because of the high-speed cornering,” said Verstappen. “But if you go to like a track like a street circuit, Monaco, can you imagine you’re in like half-half [wet-dry] conditions? I think it’s going to take like half of the race before you have temperature in your tyres.”
Although other series such as Formula 2 and IndyCar do not allow the use of tyre blankets, Verstappen pointed out those cars “have a lot less power” compared to F1 machines.
“I think these cars are very heavy as well,” he added. “I’ve tried it and it’s just really almost impossible to drive.
“In my private time I drive a GT3 car with no tyre blankets but these cars are a lot more forgiving and it’s a lot easier to manage than these kind of cars. Because [here] if you go on power a little bit too much and with the power you have from the engine, it can be a big crash.”
F1 will conduct another test of the 2023 rubber and blanket temperatures at the
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