There is a key rule change destined to be highly debated in the coming months, namely the proposal that aims to abolish electric tyre warmers starting from 2024, a step in the Formula 1 agenda that contains all the measures aimed at achieving the ‘Carbon Neutral’ goal in 2030.
Mercedes (at Paul Ricard) and Aston Martin (at Jerez) have fired up their engines in recent days for a Pirelli testing program aimed at obtaining initial feedback which will be useful for assessing the effects of a major change destined to lead to more heated discussions.
On the way to environmental sustainability
The tests that have taken place, and which will continue in the coming months, will be crucial in view of the final decision that should be made by the end of June. If the ban on electric blankets were confirmed, the impact in terms of energy savings would be considerable, both in terms of electricity consumption at the competition venue and in terms of transport. But there are many strong indications against making such a call, several known for some time and others that emerged during the first tests carried out to evaluate the effects of using tires at room temperature.
Two laps are needed
The verified time for the tires to reach the ideal operating window is approximately two laps, with an overall loss of time (compared to warmed tyres) estimated at four to five seconds per lap.
An important gap in the management of a race, which would lead the teams to limit pit-stops to the bare minimum. Without any possibility of an undercut, strategists and drivers would hardly be exposed to the risks of a second stop, with a considerable impact on the spectacular nature of the races.
A lot more traffic in qualifying
The time required for the warm-up would also have an impact on the traffic in qualifying, given the greater number of laps (two or three, depending on the track) that a driver would have to cover at reduced pace before setting off for the fastest lap.
Technical problems that are far from being negligible have also emerged, given that with current technology they are difficult to solve. The tires currently used work on average at a pressure of 22 psi, a value that is easily reached starting from the pits with a temperature of 70 degrees and a pressure of about 18 psi.
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An issue that creates… pressure
Exiting the pit lane with a tire at room temperature is a very important change, since the delta to reach the operating values is much greater, and involves an increase in pressure of about 9/10 psi.
The problem could be solved by starting from the pits with a very low pressure, around 12/13 psi, but this would lead to significant flattening of the tire and the consequent risk of generating problems in terms of tyre construction.
If we intervened in the opposite direction, i.e. leaving the current starting pressure value, we would reach 27/28 psi when fully operational. An unimaginable scenario considering the complaints that come from teams and drivers every time Pirelli increases the operating pressure by 1 psi.
New tyres with innovative materials
The only way forward is a new generation of tires, but in any case it would not be a simple challenge for Pirelli. There are two ways out, either a construction with innovative materials that are able to support lower starting pressures without getting damaged or, alternatively, a casing that manages to keep the tyre unchanged even with high pressure values.
The question that arises is how useful it would be to introduce such an impacting novelty on the technical front and with potential repercussions on the show in the race as early as 2024.
The FIA and the teams still have a few months to evaluate everything, and it will be interesting to hear the point of view of drivers such as Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll who have already had the opportunity to experience the various problems on track.
Wet tyres without electric blankets already in 2023?
A change that, on the contrary, could be introduced in a very short time is that relating to wet and intermediate tyres, which work at lower temperatures and are less subject to the problems encountered by the slicks.
In the tests completed last December, very positive indications emerged from a new generation of wet tires which confirmed a better warm-up than those in use today (with heating in the pits) without tyre warmers.
It is not excluded that this specification could be introduced as early as 2023, having convinced both Pirelli and the drivers who had the opportunity to use them in the test sessions on a wet race track. However, a favorable vote of at least eight teams in the next Formula 1 Commission will be needed.
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