(Motorsport-Total.com) – It’s clear that Formula 1 has decided to test a new qualifying format in 2023. It’s less about the sport mode than about costs on the part of tire manufacturer Pirelli, which can be reduced through the changes.
Because of Pirelli, the qualifying situation in Formula 1 could be changed a bit
Specifically, it’s about reducing the number of tire combinations teams are allowed to use in a race weekend. This would save Pirelli on production and transportation costs and incidentally also reduce CO2 emissions because less material has to be transported around the world.
According to “Motorsport.com Italy”which is a sister platform of Motorsport-Total.com & Formel1.de im Motorsport Network, A reduction from 13 to 11 sets of tires is being considered. This will be tested for the first time at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix (May 19-21, 2023), along with a new qualifying format that should make lowering possible in the first place.
Drivers and teams are currently free to choose which tire compounds will be used in the three qualifying divisions. During the test run, only hard tires should be used in the first quarter, only medium-hard tires in the second quarter and only soft tires in the third quarter. Only in the rain will the choice of tires remain free.
In total, only three hard, four medium and four soft-packs are available for each car and weekend. Six groups are planned for qualifying, and five groups for practice and racing.
The tracks on which the new format will be tested have not yet been officially named. According to information from Motorsport Network, the premiere will take place at Imola. There will then be a second attempt shortly before the August summer break so that information can be collected and assessed in the weeks without racing as far as 2024 is concerned.
In 2024, the new qualifying format could completely replace the previous one, provided the format proves its value in beta tests.
The new tire regulation will likely result in teams using one set of soft materials every second and third free practice session in order to have two new sets of soft materials available for Q3.
Teams that don’t make it to Q3 will have two more sets of soft tires to race in, which can be a small competitive advantage on some circuits. From the point of view of the Formula 1 makers this is little collateral damage, after all this has the potential to bring the field closer together, at least in racing.
Pirelli’s contract as Formula 1’s sole tire manufacturer expires in 2024. The FIA announced just this week that tendering for the 2025-27 tire contract should begin in the next few weeks.
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