Carlos Sainz judges the rules on tires in Hungary to be “boring”
In Hungary, the drivers had fewer tires for the weekend and were forced to abide by new rules in qualifying. This new allocation did not fully convince Carlos Sainz.
This weekend was a bit different from the others in terms of the tire allocation. The drivers had 11 sets of dry tires instead of the usual 13. Additionally, there was a new rule regarding the use of tires in qualifying: hard tires in Q1, medium tires in Q2, and soft tires in Q3. Although the drivers generally liked this qualifying format, opinions diverged regarding the allocation of only 11 sets of tires. Carlos Sainz stated that he was not very happy and did not find it very interesting to provide fewer tires to the teams.
« I find that the tire rules are interesting for qualifying. For the rest of the weekend, very boring,” said the Spanish driver of the Scuderia Ferrari.
More time in the garage than on the track?
According to Carlos Sainz, the main problem is that drivers cannot maximize their track time, especially on Fridays during the two free practice sessions, due to a lack of tires. Moreover, they cannot afford to “waste” tires for qualifying and the Grand Prix.
« We arrive here on Wednesday to prepare everything, and then on Friday, you spend more time in the garage than on the track because we don’t have any tires. So why even bother doing two one-hour training sessions if you don’t have tires to race with? » he lamented. Indeed, the loss of two sets of tires is not insignificant for the drivers, who must rethink their Friday preparations. For teams that bring developments and need to test them, this can also lead to problems.
« So, there is definitely something to review, whether it be the format or the allocation of tires. Or why even have Friday, if you don’t have tires to race, to learn from the car and put on a show for the fans », he then exclaimed.
However, Carlos Sainz suspects that this new allocation is aimed at promoting sustainability. But the Spanish driver has an answer to everything: “But at the same time, there are four sets of intermediates, three sets of wet tires that we don’t even use during the entire weekend sometimes, questioning this principle of sustainability with rain tires that sometimes never get used.”
Frustrated by this controversial new allocation, Carlos Sainz concluded with strong words: “« It’s seven tires multiplied by 20 teams. There are other things to consider as well. Additionally, if you want the cars to race for the fans, I think that’s something you should take into consideration.” »
