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What happens to the unused tyres from the Australian Grand Prix?

What happens to the unused tyres from the Australian Grand Prix?

14-03-2020 13:01
1

Due to the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix, Pirelli is forced to write off a lot of tyres. The tyre supplier had brought 1,800 tires to Australia, but these cannot be reused for later races. The good news: they can be used for other purposes.

Write off

Pirelli is always forced to write off the current type of tyre after a race to fly to. This is because the teams are responsible for the rims themselves. The tyres that are now unused should not be used for races again as damage may occur as soon as they are removed from the rim.

Now, writing off many tires is not uncommon. For example, they regularly have to write off 560 rain tires if it has not rained. However, the situation in Australia is unique with no fewer than 1800 tires. The unused tires are given a second life as fuel for a cement factory in Oxfordshire.

It remains limited

This action is not always necessary for future races, as tires are also shipped and can be used later as long as they are not on the rims. For example, Mario Isola from Pirelli tells Motorsport.com: "The tyres for Bahrain and Vietnam are already there, but that is not a problem."

“We use sea freight for most tyres and they are in thermally controlled containers. They are, as it were, in a department store and that makes no difference to the tires. If there is an adjustment in the calendar, we can use it."