Talk about a ban on the use of thermal covers that warm tires before installing them on a car has been going on for a long time. It was not possible to immediately abandon them, but this year the tires can only be warmed up to 70 degrees, next year – to 50. Pirelli F1 head Mario Isola explained how a gradual reduction is better than an immediate one suspension.
Mario Isola: “To completely eliminate thermal covers, we need to develop completely new tires. It is not enough to simply create new compositions with a large working range. Formula 1 cars are so fast and g-forced that the pressure increases by ten to twelve PSI while driving on the track. This changes the profile and contact surface of the tyre.
The pressure rise is twice as high as in Formula 2, so we can’t just start with 15 PSI in Formula 1, like in the junior series. We can start at 20 or 21 PSI and then quickly build up to 30 PSI.
Next year, the temperature of thermal covers will drop again – to 50 degrees for the front and rear tires. As a result, the pressure difference will already increase over part of the distance. We consciously take very small steps so that nothing goes wrong and the show does not suffer. The tires are doing very well this year and they should be after the ban on thermal covers.
We need cars from this year to test the new tires. We have to go to different tracks, where the tires are subjected to different loads, to do tests under different conditions.
I like the idea of using the second Friday practice for testing – the teams don’t have to stay on track after the Grand Prix or come especially for the tests. But as soon as a new good idea shows up, teams find an opportunity to ditch it. Now they are complaining that this will increase the load on the chassis and power plant.
Fast cars put more pressure on tires. You must ensure that the tires warm up on slower cars and do not overheat on faster cars. We have to find a compromise that makes the tires work well on all ten cars, all twenty drivers and on all tracks, and this is very difficult.”
Source: F1 News
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