Whereas Formulation 1 continues to make good beneficial properties in enhancing its sustainability, some of the apparent areas of wastage clearly nonetheless wants addressing.
With the search to scale back environmental impression being all about marginal beneficial properties fairly than delivering a silver bullet answer, it’s fairly outstanding that F1 finds itself left with so many unused tyres over the course of a season.
The truth of this example emerged in an data doc that Pirelli despatched out on Thursday detailing some fascinating stats from the 2024 season – which included the truth that F1’s tyres cumulatively coated a distance of 334,942.175 kilometres over 65,534 laps.
Tucked away amid the information had been some fascinating numbers associated to the variety of units delivered – and particularly what number of ended up not being referred to as into motion in any respect.
Pirelli says it equipped groups will a complete of 8016 new units in 2024 – which was divided up into 6100 units of slicks and 1916 of moist climate rubber (1428 inters and 488 wets). Of this complete, 2718 units had been by no means used – which is round 34% of your complete provide.
A few of these had been rain tyres that had been by no means required, however there have been a good few slicks that additionally by no means noticed the sunshine of day.
Pirelli medium tyres
Picture by: Erik Junius
Pirelli says that 935 units of slicks – simply greater than 15% of the entire taken to races – had been fitted to rims and by no means left the storage.
Moreover, 948 units of slicks (15.5%) accomplished between only one and three laps – getting used both only for qualifying or in quali sims in follow.
The variety of completely unused tyres is kind of eye-opening when put within the context of all these tyres successfully being wasted sources on two fronts.
First, there may be the query of effort and supplies, by way of manufacturing after which needing to destroy and recycle these units.
Then past that there are transportation concerns to keep in mind too based mostly on flying this rubber all the way in which world wide for nothing.
It’s little marvel that Pirelli itself famous in its doc: “The difficulty of extra environment friendly tyre utilization in the course of the race weekend stays on the desk.”
Discovering an answer
The difficulty of wasted tyres is one thing that Pirelli has been pushing laborious on in recent times, and enhancements have already been made for 2024.
This got here by means of the usage of a ‘strip and match’ coverage for extremes and inters – which means that tyres that had been mounted at one race could possibly be stripped and refitted for the next. This meant that round 3500 fewer tyres wanted to be produced final 12 months in comparison with 2023.
A trolley of Pirelli tyres
Picture by: Lionel Ng / Motorsport Pictures
Actuality signifies that it will likely be unattainable for F1 to ever find yourself in a state of affairs the place there aren’t any wasted tyres, however it’s clear extra could be performed.
On the rain tyre aspect, consideration could possibly be given to shifting F1 to only having a single kind of moist tyre.
It’s fairly apparent in F1 proper now that the present efficiency dynamics of the inter and the intense set off a state of affairs the place there may be a whole lot of wastage.
The intense is designed to resolve issues of aquaplaning in actually dangerous circumstances – however the tyre is so not often used as a result of, by throwing up a lot water together with the diffuser, automobiles by no means run in such horrible climate.
Pirelli’s 2024 information highlights the issue. Intermediates had been used for a complete of 5.84% of your complete distance coated by groups; the intense was simply 0.57%.
Having a single moist tyre to deal with the vary of circumstances that run from damp to the purpose the place automobiles not race could be a simple win for chopping again on tyre manufacturing. On the slick difficulty, it’s inevitable that there can be some units which can be solely used for 3 laps or so due to qualifying.
Units of Medium and Exhausting Pirelli tyres utilized by McLaren
Picture by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Pictures
Nonetheless, decreasing the variety of tyres unused completely could possibly be achieved by means of totally different sporting laws, maybe forcing groups to make use of particular compounds in sure classes.
F1 trialled the Various Tyre Allocation (ATA) at two races in 2023 – decreasing the variety of units given to every driver down from 13 to 11. The principles compelled drivers to make use of laborious tyres in Q1, mediums in Q2 and softs in Q3.
However the concept didn’t get the assist wanted from groups to change into the norm from the beginning of this 12 months. There have been considerations that the ATA restricted operating in follow an excessive amount of and it handed a bonus to the quickest groups who had been higher on the more durable compounds in qualifying.
The ATA was dominated out for adoption and the thought of a lowered allocation has since fallen away from the highlight.
Pirelli felt that this was a missed alternative. As head of F1 and automotive racing Mario Isola stated on the time: “The choice to drop this format, for me, was not the appropriate one.
“I imagine that if the course for the long run is to scale back the championship’s carbon footprint, we’ve to simply accept to lose one thing.”
And as Pirelli’s newest numbers present, it is a matter that undoubtedly wants some recent consideration.
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