Tyres Are Not the Only Thing Keeping Formula 1 Drivers from Racing Flat-out
Formula One is having some tyre troublesโbut not the kind that plagued the 2013 British Grand Prix.
Last summer, F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone agreed to a new deal with Pirelli to continue supplying the series with tyres from 2017 to 2019. Michelin, last seen in F1 in 2006, was also bidding, with a promise to produce more durable tyres, but Ecclestone opted for the status quo.
When Pirelli became the official tyre supplier in 2011, the Italian company was tasked with producing tyres that degraded quickly to induce more frequent pit stops. However, the high-degradation tyres have frequently come under fire, both for dangerous blowouts and because the drivers feel they cannot push to their limits without damaging the fragile rubber.
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Now, rule changes for 2017 that would increase downforce and therefore cornering speeds have been diluted, per the BBC's Andrew Benson, after Pirelli expressed concerns with the stress this would put on the tyres.
This has led to calls from the Grand Prix Drivers' Association and, curiously, Ecclestone for a tyre that can support "maximum-attack racing," according to Benson. But wait...didn't Ecclestone just reject Michelin's offer to provide that kind of tyre?
On Friday, representatives from the FIA, the sport's governing body, and the 11 teams are meeting to discuss the 2017 regulations. According to Adam Cooper, writing for Motorsport.com, there is disagreement among the teams over how to move forward. Williams chief technical officer Pat Symonds even suggested delaying the new regulations until 2018.
Remember when we cautioned not to get too excited about the FIA's proposed changes?
On Thursday, Pirelli sent out a press release announcing a meeting next week in Milan with F1's key stakeholders to discuss the 2017 tyres. The key issue for Pirelli, it seems, is testing. And that makes senseโthe company cannot (and should not be expected to) develop radically different tyres without a proper testing program.
However, in another failed cost-control attempt, F1 testing has been significantly restricted in recent years. Pirelli has had trouble finding current cars to test its tyres and there was a big controversy in 2013 when Mercedes took part in a midseason test for the Italian company. Last year, there was even a ridiculous suggestion that Pirelli could use a 10-year-old car to simulate the conditions created by the current models, according toย Autosport's Ian Parkes.
The FIA and the teams need to decide on the type of tyre they want and then allow Pirelli enough testing to ensure the tyres are safe while meeting the desired performance specifications.ย
Of course, even if the teams do reach an agreement to allow more tyre testing with current cars, that does not solve Pirelli's problems if the 2017 cars are going to produce significantly more downforce. Presumably that will be part of the discussion at the Milan meeting.
And all of this tyre talk ignores another fact: Using more durable tyres will not, by itself, ensure drivers can go flat-out for an entire race.
Each car has a maximum of 100 kilograms of fuel for each race, and that is the other limiting factor on how hard drivers can push. That fuel limit, combined with a ban on in-race refuelling, may actually be a bigger restraint than the tyres. After all, if a driver pushes too hard and ruins a set of tyres, they can always pit for new rubber. If they use too much fuel, they are going to be pushing their car across the start-finish line.
Remember, it was the lift-and-coast fuel-saving technique that led to headlines like, "Is fuel-saving killing F1?" after last year's Canadian Grand Prix.
Piecemeal rule-making is not good for the sport. The F1 Strategy Group, at least as implied by its name, should be taking a longer-term view of where the sport is headed. We have yet to see evidence of that, as the teams continue to squabble among themselves.
The FIA should take charge, but president Jean Todt has given up the Federation's power to regulate the sport. Meanwhile, the teams that currently enjoy a performance advantage are understandably reticent to approve new rules that might dull their edge.
The focus on engine efficiency is certainly a laudable one, and one that makes F1 more relevant to the road car manufacturers, but it is also one of the most important factors keeping drivers from pushing their limits and the limits of the cars. Yes, more durable tyres would help, but they will still have to ensure they have enough fuel to finish the race.
And that means we will still get plenty of radio messages where teams plead with their drivers to conserve fuel.
By all means, let's have faster cars and more durable tyresโbut let's not fool ourselves into thinking that those changes alone will put the drivers on the limit all the time.
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