As part of the effort to reduce the number of tires used at grand prix events, a new qualifying format will be tested at two races this year.
The number of sets of tires available to each driver for the weekend will be reduced from 13 to 11, and there will be a new approach to qualifying.
Currently, drivers are completely free to choose the tires used in the three qualifying segments, but at these two events, compounds will be mandatory.
Drivers will be forced to use hard tires in Q1, mediums in Q2 and softs in Q3. If one of the sessions is declared wet, then the choice of tires will be free.
As part of the experiment, drivers will have access to three sets of hard tires, four sets of medium tires and four sets of soft tires throughout the weekend.
The goal is to have six sets of tires for qualifying, and five sets to juggle between practice and the race.
Although there has been no official confirmation of the selected venues yet, sources have revealed to Autosport that the Emilia Romagna GP weekend, May 18-21, will be the first event chosen.
The second will likely take place during the summer break, giving Pirelli and the teams time to analyze whether the experiments have worked and whether the format can become the norm by 2024.
Early analysis from engineers suggests that teams would likely use one set of soft tires in FP2, and another in FP3 – to ensure two sets of soft tires for Q3.
Teams that fail to reach the final qualifying segment would therefore theoretically have access to two extra sets of soft tires for the race – which could prove beneficial at some tracks.
The FIA announced this week that a tender for the F1 supply contract for 2025, 2026 and 2027 will be launched in the coming weeks.
