Whereas System 1 continues to make good beneficial properties in enhancing its sustainability, one of the apparent areas of wastage clearly nonetheless wants addressing.
With the hunt to scale back environmental impression being all about marginal beneficial properties quite than delivering a silver bullet resolution, it’s fairly outstanding that F1 finds itself left with so many unused tyres over the course of a season.
The fact of this example emerged in an information 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 provided 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 all the 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 whole 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 sources on two fronts.
First, there’s 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 consider too primarily based on flying this rubber all the best way around the globe for nothing.
It’s little surprise that Pirelli itself famous in its doc: “The problem of extra environment friendly tyre utilization throughout the race weekend stays on the desk.”
Discovering an answer
The problem of wasted tyres is one thing that Pirelli has been pushing arduous on lately, and enhancements have already been made for 2024.
This got here via using 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 yr in comparison with 2023.
A trolley of Pirelli tyres
Picture by: Lionel Ng / Motorsport Photographs
Actuality signifies that it is going to 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 factor, 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 situation the place there’s lots of wastage.
The acute is designed to resolve issues of aquaplaning in actually dangerous situations – however the tyre is so hardly ever 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 all the 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 automobiles now not race could be a simple win for slicing again on tyre manufacturing. On the slick challenge, it’s inevitable that there will probably be some units which can be solely used for 3 laps or so due to qualifying.
Units of Medium and Onerous Pirelli tyres utilized by McLaren
Picture by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Photographs
Nonetheless, lowering the variety of tyres unused completely could possibly be achieved via totally different sporting rules, 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 arduous tyres in Q1, mediums in Q2 and softs in Q3.
However the concept didn’t get the help wanted from groups to turn into the norm from the beginning of this yr. There have been issues that the ATA restricted working 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 decreased 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 best one.
“I imagine that if the route for the longer term is to scale back the championship’s carbon footprint, we’ve to just accept to lose one thing.”
And as Pirelli’s newest numbers present, it is a matter that positively wants some recent consideration.
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