Its all about the tyres!

Skeeter

Skeeter

Skeeter

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So, I think its unanimous that were all not keen on Formula 1s current trend of races dominated by tyre strategies. So what would you do? You never know, maybe someone from the FIA browsed here ;).

So the current tyre rules are:
- 4 dry compounds about half a second apart of which 2 are brought to each race
- 2 wet compounds
- Each car gets 18 sets of tyres for the whole weekend (6 prime, 5 option, 4 inters and 3 wet)
- 2 sets of prime and 1 set if options are returned at the end of Friday.
- 1 prime and 1 option are returned after P3.
- Drivers making it through to Q3 must start the race on the same exact set of tyres they set their fastest Q3 lap time on.
- Both compounds must be used during the race, mandating at least 1 pit stop.
- No refueling during the race

From the above my personal view is that the requirement to run both compounds in the race needs to go, as does the requirement to start on your qualifying tyres. The ability to run a prime first strategy is removed from the top 10 unless they scrap qualifying. Qualifying should be an out and out fight between 10 drivers, not a luke warm short scrap between 4 or 5 with the rest sitting in the garage.

The problem that brings is that it runs the risk of making races 1 or even 0 stops if the tyres last. To force people to stop the tyres need to wear out, but then that introduces tyre management again, which were all bored of. So there needs to be a reward for scrapping your tyres. The longer goal should therefore be to produce tyres that are 1 second a lap quicker for a consistent period (15 laps or so). That way an all option race can be up to 60 seconds faster than an all prime race, but the flip side needs to be durability that matches. The options need to last half as long (but again, with consistency). So your then looking at a 1 stop prime race, a 3 stop options race, or a 2 stop mixed race.

BUT, this won't work with the current tyre allocations. Drivers enter qualifying with 3 sets of each, and the top guys as a minimum will do 3 runs. They simply don't have enough sets for that and a whole race on a single compound (a 3 stop option race would need 4 sets of option tyres). So they need more. However, we can't just give them more as that will give an advantage to people not making it through to Q3 with extra tyres. We don't want to see people trying to qualify 11th so they have a pile of new options for the race. So I suggest additional tyres that are handed back after qualifying. No advantage for not making it through, but plenty of tyres to push on. Make then the options to, as its qualifying. Ideally leave the drivers with 4 sets of options and 3 sets of primes for the race.

So, in summary:
Scrap the start on qualifying tyres rule, allowing every driver free choice of strategy
Scrap the use 2 compounds rule, allowing full races on the same compound
Give each car at least 2 more sets of options and 1 more set of primes (still less dry sets than they had in the Bridgestone days)
Make them give back 1 of each after qualifying. Keep the other 'give back's rules as they are
In the long term, aim for consistent 1 second a lap differences in the compounds brought to a race, and consistent life in the tyres.
Allow Pirrelli to test at a number of F1 venues before deciding which compounds to bring for the race.

What would you do?

tl;dr - the tyre rules suck, how would you fix them?
 
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I thought it would be good to collect everyones thoughts and ideas in a single thread. But it seems everyone is happy with the rules, so I don't need to worry :p
 
The only reason they do that is to allow them to start on the primes. If the rules allowed that anyway then they wouldn't need to cruise around.
 
DRZ said:
All of the proposals in this thread so far seemingly fail to account for the fact that the teams get used to the behaviour of the tyres as the season goes on.
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I guess you missed the bit where I said changes to the compound would be a longer term thing? Rule changes can happen quickly, changing the design of the tyres definitely not.

Maybe they could mandate a number of stops? That way developments around the tyres would be for teams to make them quicker, rather than make them last longer as the season progresses?

DRZ said:
I think it would be interesting to see the teams issued with three sets of qualifying tyres and all teams having the choice to start the race on either tyre.
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When you think about what Qualifying should mean, lining people up in outright fastest order, the idea that anyone would use the slower tyre in this session seems bizarre.

3 sets of softs just for qualifying might be good. The slower teams will do 2 runs in Q1 and still go out. The midfield might make it through with 1 run, maybe 2 in Q1 and then a couple in Q2 using the same tyres. While teams who think they will easily get through may go for 1 run on the same set in Q1 and Q2 and save 2 sets for runs in Q3.

Whatever the allocation specifics, more tyres just for qualifying would help.

That would keep quali boxed to just quali, rather than quali tyre choice compromising the racing on Sunday.
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This is a major issue for me. I don't understand why the FIA want to tie qualifing and the race togther like this. They started it with the fuel loads and now cling onto it with the tyres. Its pointless.
 
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Ah ok. I thought you were suggesting people choose which manufacturer to go with at each GP.

The problem with giving teams full choice of tyres is Pirelli would have to transport hundreds of sets around the globe that never get used. At least with the limited numbers they have now every set they take is used.
 
I'm starting to think just a single tyre compound and a mandated 2 stop race (with the tyres easily doing 50% race distance) would be a way for push them into racing hard all race?
 
They only all set times in Bahrain because they knew the tyres would last.

If you look back over the last couple of years there are a lot of cases of people starting 9th or 10th on the grid with a qualifying time of "No Time". Where I come from, No Time means you start last.

Its all a bit broken if Qualifying isn't actually about Qualifying.
 
I know its a difficult balancing act, but we have never had this situation before where drivers decide not to set qualifying times. Its a situation caused directly by a limited (too small) allocation of tyres that don't last very long.

An additional set or two in Quali would solve the problem. This 3 session qualifying has been around for a long time, its only in the Pirelli years that the top 10 shoot out has been the top 7 or 8 shoot out.
 
True, but people in qualifying not trying to set the fastest time they can is wrong.

Qualifying should be about going as fast as possible, not tactically going slow or not setting a time at all.
 
Watched the GP3. "Tyres tyres tyres..."

Watched the GP2. "Tyres tyres tyres..."

In the sprint races without pit stops they are struggling to make a set last the race.
 
The problem with Buxtons view is that the rules don't allow it.

It would be great to see someone go balls out all race and make 6 stops. But they can't, they don't have enough tyres. They also can't just stick with the compound they run best on, as they have to run both and start on their qualifying set.

Which brings me round to the point of this thread. The tyres are the tyres, they aren't going to suddenly change all the compounds. However, what can be changed is the rules. A removal of the 2 tyre compound rule and the qualifying tyres rule, plus a few extra sets and we should be able to see people who like pushing being able to do so and take the extra stops.

Imagine how different today would have been had all the teams had 4 sets of shiny new tyres to use and just told their drivers to floor it. 1 team racing while 10 drive to deltas is boring, and while it would be nice to see all teams do what Ferrari did, they simply can't at the moment.
 
Sounds similar to F1. How many sets of each do they usually go into a road circuit race with? And it what condition?

I assume pit stops are fuel limited rather than tyre limited though? And thats where F1s problems come in. Nobody is going to make a scheduled stop on a set of tyres with plenty of life left in them. They run them until they run out, and try to make as few stops as possible.
 
The Bridgestones could last a whole race. The teams only changed because they had to.

But the 1 stop races that creates aren't a solution, as nobody is going to make lunges and risk locking up if their tyres need to last 50 laps.

Something else is needed to make people stop and also push. Without refueling, it needs to be a reward of pace. Its why I think a few more sets of tyres would help. If teams went into races with 4 new sets they could go hammer and tong and take the extra stops.

As Will Buxton said, its consumption vs conservation. Both strategies need to be viable to all teams to make a good show. At the moment with teams going into races with minimal tyres all already worn, consumption in exchange for speed is simply not an option. Especially when the best performance has already been taken out of the set they start on.

Is qualifying and the race linked in any way in IndyCar?
 
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