How to make a "One Wet Tyre" rule enforceable.

[Adam43]

There has been talk of keeping the One wet tyre rule, but somehow forcing the teams to bring a proper wet tyre. I don't see how this can work.

It would be relatively simple to define a minum tread depth or amount of thread, but I would have thought that there is a lot of difference in the compounds of a wet and intermediate tyre too. It is the compound which governs how well it comes up to temperature in the different wet/inter conditions.

Additionally, I can't see a gentleman's agreement working. It would come down to which manufacturer pushed this to the limit the most!

IMO it would be better to go back to allowing more than one wet tyre, but if you had to have a rule that allowed only one how would you write this rule?

[avsfan733]

Specify a tread depth minimum

[Inigo Montoya]

There is no way to make a one wet tyre, where everyone must bring the "proper tyre" enforceable. That rule is idiotic, and should be abolished immediately.


However, I suppose that if this goes on all season, then the tyre manufacturers will have to come up with a tyre that performs well both in monsoon conditions and in drying conditions.

[Red]

It's already done Adam:

"All wet-weather tyres must, when new, have a contact area which does not exceed 280cm²" etc. as per Sporting regulations.

Reduce that 280 and you're OK. But how much is not relatively simple anymore....

Anyway, that was supposed to be yet another cost reduction measure. What the #$%% did they saved by doing that? It is certain that both Michelins and Bridgestones will develop in more directions even though they'd bring only 1 at each GP. So actually only the manufacturing costs will be reduced. On tyres!! Let's be serious.

[Glen]

"Cost reduction" is only the smokescreen for the real reason - to try and beat Bridgestone by limiting their advantage to specific condiditons. The rule is daft and should never have got through. If anything it puts a greater premium on the exact make-up of whatever wet tyre they go for - so that it is optimised for the circuit... thus Increasing costs! If someone had been hurt at that race (say Schumacher hit the crane, which he nearly did - or Pizzonia hit Montoya as he was getting out of his car, which also very neary happened) the rule would be overturned instantly and Michelin would have a lot to answer for.

The rule should go.

[Damon]

Montoya has said in this weeks Autosport that every series he has raced in has had one wet tyre only, apart from F1. If it can work in Cart, F3000 etc, why not in F1? The FIA should simply write some super restrictive rules regarding compound and tread depth and the problem would be solved.

[Inigo Montoya]

Do they really let them race in the wet in CART, or do they just follow the pace car?

[Damon]

On the non-oval circuits yeah.

[Adam43]

Originally posted by AdamAshmore
It would be relatively simple to define a minum tread depth or amount of thread, but I would have thought that there is a lot of difference in the compounds of a wet and intermediate tyre too.

I was wondering if it is as simple as tread depth and contact area. How different are the compounds of the wets and the inters?

[shiny side up!]

In addition to compound, how different is the construction of the tire for wet vs. intermediate? Are the sidewalls stiffer/softer? I'm sure there are other considerations as well...

[429CJ]

One dry, one intermediate, one wet.

[avsfan733]

that sounds logical but being that in conditions requiring the monsoon tires we often see the safety car anyways, but that reduces the cost savings

[GTV27]

I think the intermediate tyres are copping the flak unfairly.

Except for a few laps after the initial safety car went in when it was still quite wet all the way raound the track (maybe 5 to 10 laps ?), the intermediate would have been the tyre to have as the drying track would have eaten a monsoon or full wet.

So even if they had unlimited choice of wet tyres, it is likely that most drivers will have taken the one which works best on a drying track (ie an inter), and take their chances in the really wet bits.

The fiasco at turn three wasn't due to a tyre problem, but a track design problem.

If it had of rained hard for the entire race (ie consistent heavy wet), then the limited choice would have been more of a factor.