• German Grand Prix

FIA to police tyre usage

ESPN Staff
July 5, 2013 « F1 drivers threaten German GP boycott | Michael confident of no problems after FIA tyre advice »
The FIA is taking steps to ensure there is no repeat of the failures seen at Silverstone © Getty Images
Enlarge
Related Links

Pirelli has asked the FIA to ensure that the teams use their tyres under certain conditions at this weekend's German Grand Prix.

Following the tyre failures at the British Grand Prix, Pirelli issued a statement highlighting a list causes, with low pressures, aggressive cambers and swapping tyres from side-to-side among them.

Ahead of FP1 at the Nurburgring, the FIA issued a not to the teams which said it must satisfy technical delegate Charlie Whiting that their cars comply with a set of conditions. The conditions include minimum starting pressures and stabilised running pressures, maximum cambers and a banning of swapping tyres from side-to-side.

On Thursday Lewis Hamilton said he had "been swapping tyres since I started Formula One, so it's been done for many years", but the practice has now been banned by the FIA.

The decision from the FIA to enforce the guidelines on tyre operating procedures comes after the Grand Prix Drivers' Association threatened to boycott the race if there was a repeat of the problems seen at Silverstone.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
ESPN Staff Close