F1 and Pirelli have had some problems with the wet tyres for quite some time now. The current wet tyres aren’t suitable for racing and the heavy ground-effect cars don’t help either. The FIA made a one-off change to their regulation at the Dutch GP in Zandvoort to accommodate the tight pitlane. This change was praised by a few drivers, including Fernando Alonso, Valtteri Bottas, and Charles Leclerc.
The Problem with the Starting Procedure behind the Safety Car
The FIA Regulations state that all drivers must use full wet tyres for a rolling start behind the safety car. However, this leads to a precarious situation as soon as the safety car peels in. The full wet tyres by Pirelli are not suitable for racing. Moreover, with the current heavy and ground-effect F1 cars, the spray during fully wet conditions is also massive.
This leads to drivers rushing into the pits as soon as conditions become race-able. During the Belgian GP sprint race, 10 cars came into the pits along with the safety car. The rest followed a lap later. However, a crowded pit lane would have been dangerous at the Dutch GP.
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FIA’s proactivity at the Dutch GP
Zandvoort has one of the narrowest pitlanes on the calendar. The spaces between the garages are also not much. However, the latter was increased before this year’s Dutch GP. The narrow pitlane would still have been precarious.
Therefore, FIA race director Niels Wittich gave himself special rights to make a change to this regulation. The safety and proper conduct of the Dutch GP was cited as the main reason for this. He sent a note to the teams. It stated that if conditions become unsuitable for wet tyres, everyone will be required to use the intermediate tyres. Niels Wittich went on to state that teams will be given ample time to prepare for these changes.
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Drivers’ Reactions
Fernando Alonso called this decision at the Dutch GP ‘a wise one’. Valtteri Bottas agreed everyone would’ve come into the pits anyway, making this a good decision. Charles Leclerc said this rule change will always depend on the conditions, but it was a great decision at the Dutch GP.
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