F1: Tire blankets to remain at least through 2024

At Friday’s Formula 1 Commission meeting held at Spa, it was decided that Tire Blankets for dry weather tires will remain through 2024.

The third meeting of the Formula 1 Commission in 2023 took place today, 28 July, at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps ahead of the FIA Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix.

Among the key topics for discussion were the removal of tire blankets for dry tires from 2024 and Power Unit performance convergence.

The meeting was chaired by FIA Single-Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis and Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali.

The following is an overview of the key discussion points and decisions.

Removal of tire blankets for dry tires

Consistent with the future environmental and cost-saving objectives of the sport, an option to remove the use of tire blankets has been under consideration, and the 2023 Pirelli tire testing campaign has focused almost entirely on this objective, with expanded test days dedicated no-blankets testing.

Pirelli reported on the outcome of this test campaign to the F1 Commission. The results of the testing undertaken so far show that the change can be implemented to the requested target specifications for 2024, however it has been decided to postpone the introduction of a tire blanket ban for dry tires in 2024 and to continue this discussion and further testing into 2025.

Further analysis will continue for other potential future changes to the regulations that can improve the environmental sustainability of the sport.

Power Unit Equalization

In relation to Power Units, at the start of this regulations cycle it was agreed with the Power Unit Manufacturers that there would be a possibility for adjustment of PU performance from 2023 onwards in order to avoid a significant performance difference being locked in for an extended period.

The FIA has been analyzing the PU Performance of the cars during the first half of 2023, and concluded that there is one such notable performance gap between competitors.

On the basis of the commitment of the PU Manufacturers, and of the performance differences reported above, the F1 Commission discussed ways to remedy this discrepancy.

The Power Unit Manufacturers represented at the Commission agreed to give a mandate to the Power Unit Advisory Committee to consider this topic and bring proposals back to the Commission.

Updates to the Technical and Sporting Regulations

Minor updates to the 2023 and 2024 Technical Regulations were approved by the Commission.

The Commission approved the formalization of an updated procedure for standing starts, whereby at the discretion of the Race Director, the safety car may either stay in the pit lane, or extinguish its orange lights and pull to the side of the track, letting all cars that are eligible to take the standing start overtake it.

Additionally, following the FIA and Formula 1’s consultation with the drivers, the Commission discussed the topic of standing restarts close to the end of race. Current practice is to always restart the race from a standing grid start, provided track conditions are suitable, however the concept of a fixed point in races after which any resumption would be done with a rolling start, and whether there should be a limit on the total number of standing restarts there can be in a race were considered.

The ideas presented did not receive sufficient support from Commission members to be taken further at this stage; however, the group reaffirmed that the final decision on this topic always remains at the discretion of the Race Director based on the specific conditions of each restart.

2026 Car Update

The FIA presented an update regarding the ongoing work on the 2026 Formula 1 car specifications. While the core targets have remained unchanged, there has been constructive dialogue in the relevant Advisory Committees between the FIA, FOM and the teams that continues to shape the direction of the future regulations.

Significant progress has been made on this project that is ongoing, and the FIA is currently analyzing the most effective ways to achieve a significant reduction in the size and weight of the cars, as well as improving the energy management.

Financial Regulations

Regarding Capital Expenditure, the Commission discussed the aim of closing an inherent discrepancy between teams with different levels of infrastructure within the framework of the Financial Regulations. Work in the Financial Advisory Committee will continue on this topic in the coming months.

2024 Pre-Season Testing

The Commission gave approval for 2024 pre-season testing to take place outside of Europe, fewer than ten days before the first race of the season. Testing will therefore be from 21-23 February in Bahrain.

–Press Release–

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Max Verstappen Vehemently objects to any Blanket Ban

And he is 100% correct!

Max Verstappen doesn’t agree with banning tire blankets in Formula 1: “I don’t think we should head in that direction — it is extremely difficult.”

“People probably don’t know how difficult it is to drive a car with 1,000 horsepower out of the pits already. Especially when the track is also a bit slippery.”

“It is not necessary. We already have [them], I don’t think it actually generates [consumes] a lot of energy, these kind of tire blankets.”

“They probably can make it work but then they need to drop the working range that much that once you’re up to temperature the tire will just be like chewing gum and the pressures will go through the roof. It will not make the racing better.”

“I think, anyway, now, with an out-lap, when you’re struggling so much and a car with just the warm tires… it will look so stupid. I think the racing now sometimes out of the pits as well just having the hot tires is brilliant and I don’t really see why we need to change that at all.”