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F1 teams block FIA’s attempt to close sprint race tyre loophole
The rule in question concerns tire usage for the three-part race of Saturday’s shootout, which determines grid position for a sprint later in the day.
The intent of the rule is that teams must run new medium tires again in SQ1 (Sprint Shootout Q1) and SQ2, and then use new soft tires for the final SQ3 session.
However, the rules as written don’t actually force teams to save a new set of software for Saturday.
It read: “During the SQ3 sprint, no more than one set of dry tires may be used and only a new set of soft tires.”
That means a team that doesn’t expect to make it to Q3 or SQ3 under normal circumstances can bet it won’t need a new set of software on Saturday.
Instead, they could deploy all the softs on Friday for Sunday’s Grand Prix qualifying session.
Pirelli tires on a Haas F1 Team trolley branded by Nico Hulkenberg
Photography: Mark Sutton/ motorsport pictures
This could be particularly beneficial for the lower-placed teams, who often have to use multiple sets of tires to exit Q1.
In effect, a team could use an additional suite of software in Q1 or, if the driver passes, in Q2 relative to the competition – giving it a potential advantage over the competition.
If a driver accidentally gets into SQ3 without new software to work on, the team won’t race at all, effectively finishing 10th.
The anomaly has been a topic of discussion in Baku, with the FIA arranging a vote among the teams on Friday morning to try to change the rules and close the loophole by forcing teams to keep the new upholstery on Saturday.
A recent change to the sporting rules included provision for “temporary” changes to the rules for sprint competitions on race weekends, with the consent of at least eight teams.
The F1 Commission and World Motor Sport Council will then review the rule again before changing it permanently for the rest of the season.
This time, however, the teams opposed the last-minute change and the FIA did not secure the required eight votes.
So the rules remain the same for this weekend but can be reviewed and adjusted again before the next Imola race.
Realistically, the team is unlikely to gamble in Baku this weekend given the potential for chaos, which could get an unlikely car into SQ3, but if the rules don’t change, it could be in regular racing. The road becomes more important.
Nick de Vries finished the Spanish GP with the same finish he started with: fourteenth. The AlphaTauri driver was aiming for points on the familiar track of Barcelona, but a poor start prevented him from actually breaking into the top ten.
The German manufacturer saw Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finish second and third respectively in Barcelona, behind race winner Max Verstappen, taking the team up to 11 in the constructors’ standings. second.
But a few hours after the race, the team was notified that team members may have violated the regulations for the post-race parc ferme area set up in the pit lane.
The FIA asked a representative from Mercedes, plus Hamilton and Russell’s medical examiners, to report to the stewards on Sunday night.
The teams are regularly informed before the race who and who are not allowed to enter the parc ferme after the race.
There are also strict limits on how long physiotherapists are allowed to interact with drivers before the podium ceremony.
In a note sent to the teams ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday morning, the FIA said: “In addition to the team mechanics (and cooling fans if necessary), officials and the FIA pre-approved TV crew and the FIA Federation-approved photographers, no one else will be allowed into the designated area once the car enters the Parc Ferme area (no team PR).
George Russell, Mercedes-AMG, 3rd, celebrates at Parc Ferme
Photography: Zak Mauger / motorsport pictures
Furthermore, it added: “The driver physiotherapist must wait outside the cooling room behind the podium until the end of the podium ceremony in accordance with the instructions given to all teams by media representatives.”
This is not the first time that a driver’s physio has been in breach of parc ferme regulations.
At last year’s Austrian Grand Prix, the top three drivers Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and Hamilton were all suspended and fined €10,000 for similar parc ferme violations.
That was because the team doctor entered the parc ferme area in the post-match moments, violating the guidelines issued earlier in the day.
Should a violation occur, the circumstances could be subject to similar penalties, rather than risking a sporting penalty that could affect the outcome of the match.
Mercedes may be in trouble. The team had to report to the stewards of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell for the alleged breach of post-race procedure.
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