Why F1 must find a solution to its wasted tyres problem

Whereas Method 1 continues to make good beneficial properties in bettering its sustainability, one of the crucial apparent areas of wastage clearly nonetheless wants addressing.

With the search to scale back environmental influence being all about marginal beneficial properties slightly 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 whole, 2718 units had been by no means used – which is round 34% of the whole 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

Photograph by: Erik Junius

Pirelli says that 935 units of slicks – simply greater than 15% of the overall 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 apply.

The variety of completely unused tyres is sort of eye-opening when put within the context of all these tyres successfully being wasted assets on two fronts.

First, there may be the query of effort and supplies, when it comes to manufacturing after which needing to destroy and recycle these units.

Then past that there are transportation concerns to bear in mind too primarily based on flying this rubber all the way in which world wide for nothing.

It’s little surprise that Pirelli itself famous in its doc: “The difficulty of extra environment friendly tyre utilization through the race weekend stays on the desk.”

Discovering an answer

The difficulty of wasted tyres is one thing that Pirelli has been pushing onerous on lately, and enhancements have already been made for 2024.

This got here via the usage of a ‘strip and match’ coverage for extremes and inters – that means that tyres that had been mounted at one race might 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

Photograph by: Lionel Ng / Motorsport Photos

Actuality signifies that it will likely be unimaginable for F1 to ever find yourself in a scenario the place there aren’t any wasted tyres, however it’s clear extra might be completed.

On the rain tyre aspect, consideration might 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 situation the place there may be numerous wastage.

The intense is designed to resolve issues of aquaplaning in actually unhealthy situations – however the tyre is so hardly ever used as a result of, by throwing up a lot water together with the diffuser, vehicles by no means run in such horrible climate.

Pirelli’s 2024 knowledge highlights the issue. Intermediates had been used for a complete of 5.84% of the whole distance coated by groups; the intense was simply 0.57%.

Having a single moist tyre to deal with the vary of situations that run from damp to the purpose the place vehicles now not race could be a straightforward win for chopping again on tyre manufacturing. On the slick subject, it’s inevitable that there can be some units which might be solely used for 3 laps or so due to qualifying.

Units of Medium and Exhausting Pirelli tyres utilized by McLaren

Photograph by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Photos

Nonetheless, lowering the variety of tyres unused completely might be achieved via completely different sporting laws, maybe forcing groups to make use of particular compounds in sure classes.

F1 trialled the Different Tyre Allocation (ATA) at two races in 2023 – lowering the variety of units given to every driver down from 13 to 11. The foundations pressured drivers to make use of onerous tyres in Q1, mediums in Q2 and softs in Q3.

However the thought didn’t get the assist wanted from groups to grow to be the norm from the beginning of this 12 months. There have been considerations that the ATA restricted operating in apply an excessive amount of and it handed a bonus to the quickest groups who had been higher on the tougher compounds in qualifying.

The ATA was dominated out for adoption and the concept 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 fitting one.

“I imagine that if the path for the longer term is to scale back the championship’s carbon footprint, now we have to just accept to lose one thing.”

And as Pirelli’s newest numbers present, this can be a subject that undoubtedly wants some contemporary consideration.