Changes to the slick tyres for next year’s F1 season have teams divided ahead of a crucial test in Silverstone.
It is intended that tyre blankets will be banned from next year with Pirelli in the midst of developing a compound commensurate with the change.
Changes for this season have seen blanket temperatures reduced to 70 degrees, while new full-wet tyres introduced for the Monaco Grand Prix no longer require pre-heating.
Tyres are a contentious issue in Formula 1, with Pirelli having come in for criticism for much of its tenure in the sport.
The current crop of tyres has proved to be extremely tyre sensitive, with thermal degradation of key factor for all teams.
Thermal degradation is the rise in temperature within the tyre carcass and can only be managed by reducing the stresses and loads the tyre is exposed to – in other words, slowing down.
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That is different to surface degradation which refers to the wearing of the tyre surface.
Currently, teams heat tyres ahead of being bolted onto the car to ensure they’re somewhere close to the ideal operating window – something that has proved especially narrow on the current Pirellis.
That habit, under the current regulations for 2024, be outlawed for next year.
However, while new tyres are being developed to ensure that can be done safely, teams remain on the fence.
“From my point of view, I think the overarching idea of it is sound,” said Aston Martin’s technical director, Dan Fallows.
“There is a great push towards sustainability in F1 and making sure that we don’t have to carry excess baggage around the world and use more energy than we absolutely have to.
“So I think it’s absolutely laudable what they’re doing, and I think the idea is absolutely sound.
“In terms of the technical aspects of it, it’s something that… it’s a version that the FIA had and it’s something that Pirelli needs to do from their own point of view.
“We’re very supportive of the idea,” he added.
“It’s obviously just a technical challenge which we need to play our part in helping out to see whether we can achieve it.”
Pierre Wache, technical director at Red Bull, is also cautious when it comes to changes to F1 tyres.
Daniel Ricciardo is set to perform testing duties for the championship-leading operation in the tyre test at Silverstone, a key moment as far as Wache is concerned.
“We looked at the data from others, the data available to us from the other teams testing the tyre,” he began.
“We’ll have a maybe better feeling when we will test it, after we have a certain vision about how to warm the tyre – that electrical power is more efficient than burning fuel for it.
“For me, the main problem as a tyre perspective is more pressure evolution during your stint.
That is something we will see when we’ve tested that, we’ll have a better view on that.”
At McLaren, team boss Andrea Stella is keen to see the outcome of the testing before making up his mind.
“If, in the technical reports, there’s convincing evidence that this is a good idea, we will be supporting,” he said.
“Clearly, needs to be very convincing because the implications if you get it wrong can be dramatic.
“Therefore, we don’t want to expose the sport to this kind of risk.
“If this is not technically, and even from a sporting point of view, absolutely sound, we will see.
“We trust the FIA leading this process but definitely needs to be well informed – it’s not a matter of opinion for this kind of topic.”
Otmar Szafnauer is on the fence, understanding the motivation but questioning the need.
“I think we have a pretty decent show now,” he opined.
“And yeah, there’s all sorts of considerations with the tyres.
“I know there’s other series that don’t have tyre blankets, but there does come a time where that essence of Formula 1, whatever that is, maybe tyre blankets is part it.”
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