No tyre blankets in F1 from 2024? Drivers and teams see crashes in WEC

Tyre warmers gone from F1

At the start of the 2023 F1 season, GPblog spoke to Mario Isola. The Pirelli top man was very clear then: the next goal is to produce tyres that can operate without tyre blankets. In Imola, part one of that plan is already being implemented with new rain tyres from Pirelli that do not need tyre blankets, but for dry weather tyres, it is a bit different.

This is because slicks need to be warmed up much more. If these tyres are not up to temperature, dangerous situations can arise. Just ask WEC drivers after the six hours of Spa-Francorchamps. There, one driver after another slid off the track, so there was a lot of criticism after the race about the rule of working without tyre blankets.

Although this is fixed in the WEC regulations, the FIA has made an adjustment for the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the request of the teams. There, tyre blankets will be used again, after all, to allow all drivers to drive safely. 

Complaints from Verstappen and Russell

In F1, there are also big question marks over the plan to run without tyre blankets. The current tyres are already very difficult to warm up. Max Verstappen, for instance, already complained regularly about warming up his tyres behind a slow safety car. Because of that slow in lap behind the safety car after a red flag, many drivers shot straight ahead in the first corner at Albert Park. Verstappen, therefore, does not want this rule to be continued.

George Russell also raised it as an argument. The Brit drove into Verstappen during the F1 Sprint in Azerbaijan. When Verstappen came to seek redress with the Mercedes driver afterwards, the latter informed him that he still had cold tyres.

GPblog has learned from several sources in the F1 paddock that the ban on tyre blankets is not going to happen in 2024. Although Pirelli are looking at the options with the FIA, individual sources reveal that it will not happen in 2024.

When GPblog asked the FIA for a reaction, a spokesperson reveals: "The objective of the FIA and FOM remains to remove tyre blankets for 2024, however following numerous discussions and driver feedback, a final decision will be taken by the F1 commission in July 2023, allowing for additional data gathering and testing feedback to fully inform the conclusions."

The F1 Commission meeting taking place in July will include representatives from the FIA, FOM, F1 teams and F1 engine suppliers. While the FIA and FOM would like to see the tyre blankets disappear in order to cut costs and move closer to carbon-neutral targets, there is little chance that the teams will vote for this plan. The FIA and FOM can still push the plan through with their 20 out of 30 votes, but that will meet with little sympathy from the teams and drivers.