During the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, which was scheduled for last May, Formula 1 had organized, in collaboration with Pirelli, the debut of the experimental qualifying format, which involves using all the available tire compounds for a normal race weekend.
With the experimental qualifying system, which proposes the use of the hard compound in Q1, the medium compound in Q2, and the soft compound in Q3, the idea is to save two sets of tires available to each driver for the weekend, reducing the total from thirteen to eleven sets.
This proposal is primarily aimed at continuing the sustainable approach undertaken by the category in recent years, aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. It not only reduces the number of sets but also addresses logistical issues related to transportation, as it would mean 40 fewer trucks.
The tire allocation consists of three sets of hard tires, four sets of medium tires, and four sets of soft tires. The allocation for wet conditions remains unchanged: four sets of intermediate tires and three sets of full wet tires. Each driver will have a total of seven sets of tires for Saturday’s qualifying session and Sunday’s race, with at least one set of hard and one set of medium tires to be kept for the race, as per regulations. Of the remaining four available sets, one will be returned after the first free practice session, one after FP2, and two after FP3.
The intention of the Federation and the Italian manufacturer is to evaluate the functionality of this format over the course of two race weekends this season. This will provide reference data to assess the possibility of a stable introduction for all events starting from 2024 or alternatively, from 2025.
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Initially, the first weekend to feature this particular format was supposed to be Imola, but due to the cancellation of the event following the tragic flooding that affected the circuit and surrounding areas, it was decided to postpone and choose another date.
The first appointment with the revised allocation will, therefore, be the Hungarian Grand Prix in the last weeks of July, with hopes of more favorable weather compared to the previous season. Additionally, in Budapest, Pirelli will also bring softer tires compared to 2022, opting for the C5 as the softest available compound, accompanied by the C4 and C3. As a replacement for Imola, the second venue where the format will be tested will be Monza during the Italian Grand Prix, scheduled for the first weeks of September.
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