Pirelli has seen no proof of something uncommon in how groups are operating their tyres amid the newest tech intrigue in F1 over a possible water cooling trick.
Suspicions about a number of groups doubtlessly having discovered a approach to assist cool their tyres in races, by injecting water in to them by way of the valves, are understood to have erupted after the Singapore Grand Prix.
It’s understood that this was prompted by indicators of moisture being noticed inside wheel rims after the tyres have been stripped following the grand prix on the Marina Bay circuit.
The FIA has been pushed by Purple Bull to dig into the matter, and its head of single seater issues Nikolas Tombazis is known to have spoken to Pirelli about it in Brazil in addition to have oversight of tyres being stripped after the dash race at Interlagos.
The official scrutineering report from the dash race mentioned that every one tyres that have been inspected after the dash have been compliant with the laws.
Pirelli itself says that, following its chats with the FIA, it’s more than pleased to do something it could actually to assist any probe – however says that preliminary evaluation has not pointed to something untoward going down.
Mario Isola, its head of F1 and automotive racing, mentioned: “I can not see something unusual from the info we have now. I haven’t got any proof.
Pirelli tyres
Photograph by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Photos
“Clearly, as I mentioned, it is as much as the FIA now to resolve what to do and to inform us if we will assist, as a result of on the finish of the day the one factor we will do is to assist them.
“If there may be something we will do to examine, or to provide them recommendation on a doable scenario, we’re right here to assist.
“I am not conscious of any subject, however I heard the story, and I’ve additionally tried to grasp why it ought to be finished, which now I’ve an concept. However for the remaining, it is all within the arms of the FIA.”
Isola defined that, in principle, it was fairly a easy activity to inject water into the tyre – though the physics at play have been fairly sophisticated and it was not with out a draw back when it comes to impacting inside pressures.
“How to try this may be very straightforward,” he mentioned. “You may have a valve – and also you simply put water inside.
“However how the system works is a special story. It is mainly a thermal impact: warmth switch between the tyre and the rim that ought to give extra consistency or much less degradation to the tyre, even when you have worse management of the strain.
“Clearly, when you have a vapour steam contained in the tyre you lose the management of the strain as a result of you might have a strain that’s increased.”
Isola mentioned any group that did inject water into the tyres to assist with cooling could be going towards an FIA technical directive that was issued a couple of years in the past relating to the remedy of tyres.
“The TD got here some years in the past when there was a dialogue on this,” he mentioned. “There was a dialogue additionally on particular gases the place it was advised some groups have been altering the gasoline into the tyre to higher management strain.
“Then somebody began to speak about moisture within the tyre, and why we should always have roughly.
“We provide the tyres with dry air inside. Now we have a dryer linked to our system, and so they get all of the tyres with dry air, as within the laws.
“Within the technical directive, it is written that any modification to that is forbidden, and it is fairly clear. However then you must have a transparent proof when you have a scenario like that.”