Big change coming up: electric tyre warmers banned from 2024

It has been debated for years, but now it seems to be happening after all. Electric tyre warmers are disappearing from Formula 1. From 2024, tyre warmers would no longer be allowed.

According to Auto, Motor und Sport the ball is thus in the court, after many years of discussion. As the last major racing class in the world, F1 will also stop using these electric blankets. A major reason is Formula 1's climate plans. Everything has to be more economical and better for the environment. Tyre warmers that slurp up sheets of energy do not fit in with that. Moreover, the abolition is a good way for teams to reduce costs.

Abolished in steps

Electric tyre warmers will not be abolished all at once. The FIA has agreed a tiered system with the teams and tyre supplier Pirelli. Already in the 2021 season, the maximum temperature of tyre warmers was reduced to just 100 degrees celcius at the front and 80 degrees at the rear. This year, only 70 degrees is allowed for all slicks. For this, the number of electric tyre warmers was reduced from 40 to 20.

That these steps were chosen is partly due to Pirelli. This is because the Italian firm has to design an entirely new tyre. "If you want to drive without electric blankets, you have to design a completely new tyre. It is not enough to simply make new compounds. The cars in Formula 1 are so fast and generate such large forces that the pressure increases by 10 to 12 PSI during driving. This changes the whole profile and contact surface of the tyre."

Next year 50 degrees

"Next year, electric blanket temperatures will continue to drop - to just 50 degrees front and rear," Isola reveals. "This also increases the pressure differences within the stints. We deliberately only set small stints so nothing goes wrong and the show doesn't suffer. The tyres are working very well this year. Of course, that should remain the case even if we do away with the electric blankets altogether."