F1 will trial a new tyre allocation format during qualifying for this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix as part of its drive towards greater sustainability – although question marks remain.
Providing the session remains dry at the Hunagroring, then the ‘alternative tyre allocation’, as it is known, will see only the hard compound used in Q1, the medium in Q2, and the soft for the top-10 shoot-out.
Up until now, teams have had a free choice as to which compound of Pirelli’s rubber to use and when during qualifying.
This system, which will again run in qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in early September, saves on two sets of Pirelli’s tyres across a race weekend, falling from 13 to 11.
In addition, Pirelli is also using a trio of softer compounds in Hungary – C3, C4 and C5 – compared to last year.
In terms of the mandatory tyres for each qualifying segment, it is clear that at this stage, there are pros and cons. The uncertainty relating to the latter should become more obvious once the format has been tried.
Williams team principal James Vowles said: “The idea is good but I’m not sure what it’s going to do.
“There’s always a little bit of concern when you’re slightly on the slower side. Is it going to be as easy to get the harder tyres to work? Are we actually going to split the field out?
“But the concept of trying it is exactly why we are doing it. It’s just that we’re unsure of what the other circumstances will be, what will happen to the field spread.
“In many ways, there’ll be positives. On that harder tyre in the first session, you’ll be able to not just get one lap out of it, but multiple laps so you’ll see more cars going around the track, more laps being completed. Probably positive for the sport, a positive outcome for it.
“But will it make a bigger gap or make it more predictable? Unsure yet, which is exactly why we’re running it as a format.
“So, open-minded and it might present a new direction of travel.”
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack confirmed that the key phrase, as used by Vowles, is “open-mindedness”.
He added: “We need to try different things. Stefano [Domenicali, F1 CEO] highlights this all the time.
“In this case, the idea behind it is less tyres, being more sustainable, so I think we have to applaud that initiative.”
Pirelli motorsport director Mario Isola feels that with the two changes for Hungary – the tyre allocation format and the step softer compounds across the weekend – then “at least on paper”, it “should lead to a wider range of options, particularly in terms of strategy”.
With regard to the alternative tyre allocation, Isola has confirmed that after the race in Monza, “the FIA, F1 and the teams will decide whether or not to adopt it for next season”.
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