Cost cutting provokes tyre warmers ban – Formula 1 news
Cost cutting has been an ongoing issue for Formula 1 in recent times and the talks have gathered pace over the European Grand Prix weekend.
The ban on the tyre blankets is on the agenda in order to minimise the team’s spending.
The teams are expected to agree to new regulations in order to limit spending by the end of the current month.
Autosport has reported that a ban on the tyre blankets is being implemented as a means of trimming costs over the span of the next few years. Pirelli have also been willing to change it compound in accordance with the cost cutting regulations if necessary.
McLaren principal Martin Whitmarsh said that a ban on the tyre blankets would only make any sense if the compounds are also changed to make sure that any security concerns are taken out of the equation.
“You can't do it with these tyres, that's for sure,” he said. “But what was suggested is that if you're going to change the tyre and go out to tender, which is something in prospect for the sport, then having noisy generators on the grid and having all the
costs of tyre blankets ... you have to ask if they actually add to the show or if they get in the way of it? Providing that the temperature and the pressure range of the tyres are designed to warm-up, which they do in other formula, then it's clearly possible.”
Mercedes team Principal Ross Brawn has questioned the practicality of the ban and said that given that the cars would likely complete more running in the races to get tyres up to temperature.
Michael Schumacher said that the cold tyres are for categories that have low power like Formula Ford or Formula 3. He added that this is Formula 1 which is the pinnacle of motorsport, the kind of power cars have in Formula 1 it would not be a wise thing
to place a ban on tyre blankets.
There has been a lot of discussing and debating over the cost cutting issue but the end of this month will give a clear picture of what and how these cost cuttings will affect the sport.
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