F1 proposes wider tires, more downforce

GENEVA (Feb. 24, 2016) — Tires for Formula 1 racing starting next year will be nearly 25 percent wider than the currect specification, according to recommendations disclosed this week by the Federation International de l'Automobile (FIA).

Wider tires would be part of rules changes designed to produce faster cars and lower lap times, the FIA said. The rules would also incorporate new bodywork regulations that would produce additional downforce for increased cornering speeds, the FIA said.

The new tire specs would be 405 millimeters wide for the rear and 305mm for the front, the FIA said, vs. the current spec of 325mm rear and 245mm front. The information released by the FIA does not address the issue of lower aspect ratio tires, as Pirelli has suggested on a number of occasions.

The recommendations, which come from the F1 Strategy Group and the F1 Commission, also would include wider front and rear wings and bodywork, as well as a 3-percent jump in minimum weight.

The new regulations also could include provisions for adding “some form of cockpit protection” starting with the 2017 season. F1 cars are single-seat, open-cockpit, open-wheel designs.

Driver deaths that occurred in F1 and IndyCar the past couple of seasons are at the heart of the discussions regarding re-engineering the F1 cars to incorporate cockpit protection, such as a “halo” construction or a larger transparent windscreen.

F1 tire supplier Pirelli Tyre has as yet not commented on the proposed specs, but earlier the tire maker hosted a meeting of the key F1 stakeholders at its Milan, Italy, headquarters to “discuss target tire performance guidelines in the light of the 2017 regulations.”

At that meeing in late January, Pirelli said it it considered the meeting “of vital importance in order to further consolidate the close collaboration that got under way last year” with the FIA, Formula One Management and the drivers.

One key aspect of the meeting was to discuss Pirelli's concern that more on-track tsting is needed to meet the more complex technical aspects of changing tire specs.

The final F1 technical regulations will be issued later this spring by the World Motor Sport Council.