Pirelli 'cannot afford' Formula 1 tire failures in 2014

ERJ staff report (TP)

London – Formula 1 teams have rejected a proposal to force drivers to make at least two pit stops in each grand prix, reported Andrew Benson for the BBC.

The idea was put forward as a way of preventing a repeat of 2013's tire problems amid uncertainty about car performance following rule changes.

But the proposal received no support from the teams at Monday's (9 December) meeting of F1's rules strategy group.

The plan to introduce a minimum of two pit stops for tires was hatched at a meeting between FIA president Jean Todt, F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone and tire supplier Pirelli at November's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Pirelli made it clear it could not afford, in terms of public relations, a repeat of the multiple tire failures seen in 2013.

These reached their nadir at the British Grand Prix, when six major failures during the race forced Pirelli to change the design of the tires for the rest of the season.

But the plan for two mandatory pit stops met with severe resistance from the teams, who felt interfering in the race strategies they could run to such an extent would be unnecessarily artificial and risk most races being almost identical in their format.

Pirelli has been granted an extra test this winter to conduct further evaluation in an attempt to ensure it does not run into problems in 2014.

This will take place in Bahrain from 15-17 December, using 2013 cars from Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, Force India and Toro Rosso.

Pirelli's concerns are rooted in its belief that the new 1.6-litre turbo engines that will be introduced next season will be much more demanding of tires because they generate significantly greater torque than the 2.4-litre V8s used in F1 from 2006-13.

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Full story from the BBC