F1 News: Pirelli To Discuss 2023 Rule With FIA That Was Heavily Criticized By Lewis Hamilton - 'Doesn’t Make Sense'

Saajan Jogia | Apr 7, 2024

Nov 15, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Mercedes AMG Petronas driver Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Formula 1 tire supplier Pirelli is preparing to engage with the FIA and Formula 1 teams in the upcoming days to address concerns regarding the lack of track action during FP2. This issue, stemming from the deletion of a 2023 rule, has drawn sharp criticism from seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

Key Takeaways:

• Pirelli seeks discussions with the FIA and teams to address FP2 track inactivity due to a 2023 rule removal, criticized by Hamilton.
• Removal of the 2023 rule led teams to preserve tires during FP2 at Suzuka, limiting track running.
• Teams no longer receive replacement tires for wet sessions, discouraging participation. Pirelli proposes a solution to encourage practice in wet conditions.

The lack of running during the FP2 session at Suzuka is being attributed to the removal of an FIA rule from the 2023 regulations. This rule allowed drivers an extra set of intermediate tires if they had used a set in a wet FP1 or FP2, or if FP3 was at high risk of being wet. Teams are now trying to preserve the tires they have due to this change, which resulted in many F1 teams being unwilling to initiate their FP2 runs at Suzuka.

It is noteworthy that every Formula 1 team receives 13 sets of tires for each driver for every Grand Prix weekend. Additionally, they were provided with five sets of intermediate tires for damp tracks, and three sets for full wet sessions last year. However, due to a recent rule change, the teams no longer receive replacement tires if they are used for FP1, FP2, or FP3.

Nov 15, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Mercedes AMG Petronas driver Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

During the second hour of practice before the Japanese Grand Prix, a light rain caused the track to become slippery. With the rest of the Grand Prix weekend forecasted to be rainy, teams were hesitant to send their drivers onto the track to save tires. Hamilton expressed dissatisfaction with the rule change since it discourages F1 teams from participating in Free Practice sessions under wet conditions. He said:

“It’s a shame we didn’t get that [FP2] session.

“They have changed the tire rule, so therefore no one goes out and drives runs on the intermediate.

“It just doesn’t make sense, really, but there you go.”

Pirelli’s chief engineer Simone Berra has called for discussions with the governing body and the F1 teams to discuss the matter and offer a solution to prevent a similar repetition in the future. He added:

“This [rule change] was obviously voted by all the teams together with FIA and F1.

“Obviously nowadays a team doesn’t have to return one set of intermediates after it is used in free practice, like it was last year.

“So especially at this circuit, where you have, let’s say, a high level of degradation, and considering that we could have some rain on Sunday, most of them decided to keep the five sets unused apart from RB and other teams that did an out and in-lap.

“It is something that we will discuss further with the FIA and with the teams, to try to find a way to make them run in practice. It is not our decision in the end, but in the next weeks it will be a topic for discussion.”

Here's the solution Berra intends to propose to the parties in charge. He said:

“They can keep the five sets from the start but, if a session is declared wet, then you have to return one set of intermediates.

“It then makes no sense not to use it and [instead] return a new set. So that will be a way to encourage them to run.”

Oct 19, 2018; Austin, TX, USA; A view of the Pirelli logo and wet track during practice for the / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports