F1 tire-saving rule tweak likely in 2012

(GMM) According to two authoritative figures, a tweak or two to the tire rules is likely for 2012.

Bernie Ecclestone told Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport that new supplier Pirelli has done "an incredible job" in providing tires that degrade quickly in order to spice up the show.

But the interviewer told the F1 chief executive that qualifying is often "uninteresting" because drivers choose to save fresh tires for the crucial race.

"The solution for that is very simple: to provide more sets of tires to the drivers," said Ecclestone.

The tire-saving practice sometimes involves a driver graduating to the next phase of qualifying, but then refusing to use waste another set of tires in bidding for a higher grid spot.

"It's true," Pirelli motor sport director Paul Hembery told the Spanish sports daily AS, "we need to stop that little trick."