According to Motorsport Magazin, F1 is considering a ban on tyre-warming blankets.
Journalist Kerstin Hasenbichler reported from Valencia that the potential 2013 ban is being discussed as part of the sport’s cost-cutting efforts. The teams and the FIA are “currently in consultation to restructure regulations aimed at keeping costs as low as possible”, the writer said.
This isn’t the first time that the tyre blanket ban idea has surfaced – it was considered several years ago however the idea was not taken forward on safety grounds. However, with F1 currently looking at ways to cut costs, banning tyre blankets would save money by saving on equipment expenditure and freight costs.
Pirelli’s Paul Hembery confirmed he would “welcome” the ban but warned it “would require a complete change of the composition” of the tyres. He said the ban should therefore be introduced over two years.
For 2013, Hembery said, warmers for wet tyres could be banned, preceding a full ban for slicks the following season.
Source:GMM
