F1 teams not ready for heated blanket ban
Tire management is an essential parameter for obtaining maximum performance from a Formula 1 car. While the type of tire chosen is important, so is its temperature management. The removal of heating blankets, which keep tires at the optimum temperature, is likely to take place as early as 2024. A crucial change that will have a major impact on single-seater performance.
This ban on heated blankets in Formula 1 is not new, it has been postponed several times in recent years due to the performance and safety complications it could bring. But its plans to ban heated blankets are now under discussion again and could be implemented as early as the beginning of the 2024 season.
The performance consequences on the current single-seaters could be too significant, according to Mercedes’ Head of Ground Engineering, Andrew Shovlin. The levels of downforce have considerably increased this year with the introduction of the new regulations, putting even more strain on the tires.
These cars have more straight line downforce than the cars we had previously. The high-speed loads are very, very high and the teams are constantly working to add performance. And for Pirelli, it’s difficult to keep up with this constant development.
For Shovlin, if it is possible to produce a tire that can perform without the need for preheating, but it must be done without any consequences for the race.
« Pirelli could probably give us one right away.
» Pirelli pourrait probablement nous en donner un tout de suite.
But this tire would not lead to good races. It would not allow the drivers to push as hard, and you would end up with very high tire pressures and significant loss of grip.
According to him, a common agreement should be reached that combines the high performance of the cars with the environmental approach that Formula 1 promotes. However, performance should be the priority.
« It is about balancing the sporting needs, as well as the environmental concerns which are all taken into account. But the main concern is to ensure that we don’t end up with an affected show on track, as we have led it with the legislation recently introduced.
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The challenge that Pirelli will have to face is difficult, and maintaining performance will be one of the key points in the development of these new tires. The Formula 2 cars run on tires that do not require preheating, but the performance gap is too significant compared to the premier discipline.
I think the challenge of taking such a fast, powerful car, with so much downforce, and making a ‘slick’ tire is incredibly difficult.
« I think it is very easy to watch the Formula 2 series and say, ‘well, they do it’, but the applied constraints are much higher. We turn about 20 seconds faster on some circuits. And this challenge for Pirelli is very, very difficult. It requires many technical development stages.
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