Controversy Over New Tyre Rule

Home » Blog » February 5 2010 at 20:54 | posted by Martin Porter

Controversy Over New Tyre Rule

Last week Formula One teams agreed to implement a new tyre rule in response to the 2010 refuelling ban. Drivers will now start the race using the same tyres they qualified on. The idea is that the grid will be slightly mixed up as some teams will choose a softer tyre in order to qualify higher, whilst others will go for the harder option to give them more durability in the race.

This new rule could make the races more exciting, but it could also be a step in the wrong direction.

No one is entirely sure how the ban of refuelling is going to impact the racing this year. One theory is that it should improve the on-track action and that tyre strategy will be very interesting. Drivers will need to pick the right moment to pit for tyres since pitting early will give them an advantage on fresh rubber but could leave them venerable at the end of a Grand Prix.

Another idea is that a ban on refuelling will make the races more processional as now drivers will be unable to use a later pitstop to leapfrog the car in front.

It is very hard to tell which way it's going to go, which is why the rule forcing drivers to start the race on their qualifying tyres is being introduced too soon. It has been conceived to add a bit of strategic excitement, but it might not be necessary to improve the show.

2010 grids should be mixed up enough without any artificial intervention.

Some cars are great with light fuel loads but are awful on full tanks, which means some teams are going to excel in qualifying and struggle in the race. If you look at 2002, the last season when qualifying was totally separated from the race, Montoya took seven pole positions but did not manage a single win. The Williams was brilliant over one lap on light tanks in qualifying but struggled through the full race distance. This is going to be amplified this year when the difference between qualifying and the race is 160 kilos of weight.

Teams should have waited to evaluate the impact of the refuelling ban before writing new rules to improve the show. It's a shame because many fans were looking forward to pure unadulterated qualifying for the first time in eight years. That has now been spoiled since fuel strategy has been replaced by tyre strategy. The new rule could be a great addition to the sport, but it should not have been introduced until it was needed. Who knows, forcing drivers to qualify on tyres that are harder or softer than ideal could actually ruin the racing and the strategy during a Grand Prix. The racing should have been good enough without it, and qualifying would certainly have been more exciting.

What do you think? Is the new rule a good idea or has it come too soon?