Formula 1 Tire Blankets Could Go the Way of the Dinosaur by 2024

Top teams are resisting a push to see tire blankets banned in Formula 1.

The sport is keen to move away from the costly and energy-hungry practice of pre-heating tires. The topic even showed up on the agenda of a meeting at the F1 Commission in London on Wednesday.

However, some teams are arguing that, with orders already placed for tire blankets in 2022, drivers will struggle to get heat into their rubber without them. The question gets even stickier when it comes to the low-profile tires set to debut in 2022.

European media outlet Auto Motor und Sport, however, claims that it is mainly the big teams arguing to keep the blankets.

"In qualifying, the cars sometimes wait several minutes at the pit exit to get a good position on the track," an unnamed team manager from a smaller team is quoted as saying, tongue firmly in cheek. "The tires cool down completely and somehow it still works."

It is believed a compromise will be discussed at the F1 Commission which would see blankets phased out over the next three years. Next year, for instance, the allowance of 40 blankets per team would be slashed to 20.

Not just that, maximum tire heating using the blankets is expected to be reduced from 194 to 158 degrees, decreasing further to 122 degrees in 2023 before a full ban in 2024.