2017 F1 rules risk delay as Pirelli tyre testing stalls
Formula One’s planned 2017 regulations face a potential setback as teams and Pirelli struggle to agree on tyre testing arrangements and costs.
Formula One’s overhaul for 2017, designed to make cars faster with wider tyres and more downforce, could be held up by a row over tyre testing. Although Pirelli has agreed terms with Formula One Management for next season, its contract with the FIA remains unsigned as of April 2016 due to unresolved demands for more extensive tyre testing.
The new regulations call for tyres that are 25% wider than current sizes, with the aim of reducing lap times by up to five seconds. Pirelli insists it cannot deliver safe and competitive tyres for these conditions without running them on a car that replicates 2017 levels of downforce. However, no team has yet provided such a car, and there is no agreement on who should bear the cost of building or modifying one.
The estimated cost to adapt a 2015 chassis for the required downforce is around €10 million. Leading teams are reportedly unwilling to spend that sum on a car that would benefit all competitors, while smaller teams lack the budget to participate. This leaves Pirelli unable to carry out the comprehensive testing it says is necessary to meet the FIA’s performance targets.
Teams divided over cost and competitiveness
Disagreement over funding the test car has become a sticking point. Teams fighting for the championship see little incentive to invest in a project that could hand rivals an advantage, particularly if the test data is shared. Meanwhile, teams further down the grid simply do not have the resources to contribute. This impasse has left the FIA’s Charlie Whiting acknowledging the lack of progress and the risk of missing key development deadlines.
There is also uncertainty over whether time spent developing and testing the car would count towards the FIA’s strict wind tunnel usage limits, a concern raised by Force India’s Bob Fernley. Without clarity on this point, some teams are reluctant to commit even if funding could be found.
Pirelli’s contract and the risk of delay
Although Pirelli has signed a commercial agreement with Bernie Ecclestone for 2017 and beyond, the tyre supplier’s technical contract with the FIA remains unsigned. The sticking point is Pirelli’s insistence on adequate testing resources to ensure the new, wider tyres are safe and deliver the promised performance gains. Until a solution is found, the implementation of the 2017 rules could be at risk.
Concerns over overtaking and spectacle
Some teams and drivers have voiced concerns that the 2017 rules, by increasing downforce, could make overtaking more difficult rather than easier. Mercedes’ Toto Wolff has warned that the increased aerodynamic wake will make it harder for cars to follow each other closely, potentially undermining the intended improvements to the racing spectacle. FIA officials counter that wider tyres will play a major role in reducing lap times, but the unresolved tyre testing issue could prevent those benefits from being realised.
With the clock ticking, Formula One’s governing bodies and teams must resolve the Pirelli testing impasse if the 2017 rules are to be introduced on schedule.
