06/04/2024
NEWS STORY
Pirelli wishes to talk with the FIA over the new rule which compromises running in wet conditions.
Previously, the teams were allocated four sets of Inters and three sets of full wets, however from this year this has changed to five sets of Inters and two of wets.
However, last year drivers were allowed an extra set of Inters on Fridays, only for the practice to be dropped this year.
Friday was the first wet session of the year and amidst doubts over the weather conditions for the remainder of the weekend, drivers, much to the disappointment of the crowd (and TV viewers) opted not to run in order to save their allocation.
"This was obviously voted by all the teams together with the FIA and F1," said Pirelli's Simone Berra, referring to the rule change. "Obviously nowadays a team doesn't have to return one set of intermediates after it is used in free practice, like it was last year.
"So especially at this circuit, where you have, let's say, a high level of degradation, and considering that we could have some rain on Sunday, most of them decided to keep the five sets unused apart from RB and other teams that did an out- and in-lap.
"It is something that we will discuss further with the FIA and with the teams, to try to find a way to make them run in practice. It is not our decision in the end, but in the next weeks it will be a topic for discussion."
Lewis Hamilton was one of several drivers to criticise the rule.
"It is shame we didn't get that session," he said. "They have changed the tyre rule, so therefore no one goes out and runs on the intermediate, which just doesn't make sense, really. But there you go."
Berra believes that the rule could be successfully amended by ordering the teams to return one set of unused Inters after any wet session.
"They can keep the five sets from the start," he said, "but, if a session is declared wet, then you have to return one set of intermediates.
"It then makes no sense not to use it and instead return a new set. So that will be a way to encourage them to run."
Check out our Saturday gallery from Suzuka here.