Domenicali said F1 must fix its red flag tyre change loophole. Why hasn't it? · RaceFans

6th November 2024, 7:155th November 2024, 17:54 | Written by Will Wood

With the most recent October meeting of the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council, Formula 1’s rule makers have published their latest draft of the sporting regulations that will govern the 2025 edition of the world championship.

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Despite existing in the regulations for decades, the freedom of teams to change tyres when races are suspended has been a contentious one among drivers and fans over the years. The 2011 Monaco Grand Prix was one of the first times the rule faced serious criticism.

The final act of that race was shaping up to be a tense and thrilling conclusion to rival that of the famous 1992 finish between Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell. With under 20 laps remaining, Sebastian Vettel – who had assumed the lead from Jenson Button by staying out under a mid-race Safety Car – was leading the race on tyres nearing 50 laps old.

But behind him, Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari had closed within DRS range having pitted under the Safety Car, while Jenson Button was closing on the pair of them after making a second stop under green flag conditions.

With 15 laps remaining, the top three were covered by less than a second. Vettel was clearly struggling, with his tyres visibly in a poor condition and having to defend from Alonso into Sainte Devote with every lap. The final laps of the race promised to be intense.

At a stroke, the tension evaporated. Vettel easily held off Alonso and Button at the restart to take his fifth win in the first six races – much to the frustration of fans who had been looking forward to an epic finish.

At the time, even BBC commentators Martin Brundle and David Coulthard had been caught by surprise that the regulations allowed Red Bull to change their tyres under red flag. A major rule change introduced for the 2007 season compelled every driver to run both compounds of tyre for at least one lap during the race and the ability to change tyres under a red flag potentially offered a free pit stop and a major advantage to drivers who had a red flag appear at an opportune moment of the race.

After what many considered the most processional grand prix in history, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali insisted the rules would be changed.

“This year we have a red flag on the first lap and everyone has automatically made their pit stop,” he said. “We must not let that happen again. We must anticipate such scenarios better and cover them with the rules.”

Six months on the rule is a talking point once again following last weekend’s race. A dejected Lando Norris complained three of his rivals, including championship leader Max Verstappen “got lucky” because of “a rule that no one agrees with.”

But the rule isn’t going to change any time soon. The FIA’s first draft of F1’s 2025 regulations still permits teams to “change wheels and tyres” if a race is suspended, among other limited work they can do on their cars, under article 57.4 b) vii).

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By allowing F1 teams the liberty to change tyres under a red flag, the world championship is in direct contrast with other major motorsports series such as IndyCar.

So, many would ask, why doesn’t the FIA simply delete the line in the regulations allowing teams to change tyres under a red flag? Because, naturally, nothing is ever that simple in Formula 1.

There are several obvious arguments why F1 should follow IndyCar’s lead. First, Norris’s point that the ‘free pit stop’ essentially hands a major advantage to those who have not pitted before a red flag is correct. It can be hard to swallow when a driver is handed a position they have not ‘earned’ or even lose one they deserve because the fickle hand of fate dealt them a red flag they could not have foreseen.

It also undermines F1’s ‘two-compound’ rule. Although F1 technically does not have a compulsory pit stop under its regulations, the two-compound rule means there is effectively a compulsory pit stop for all intents and purposes. There are only two possible ways for teams to satisfy the compound requirement in dry races: either by pitting their cars during the race to change onto a different compound at a pit stop, or by getting to change their tyres at no cost during a red flag. The former costs a driver around 25 seconds in race time to do. The latter costs nothing.

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But there are other reasons why the rule written as it is may be the best and most practical approach. The most important factor to consider in a debate like this, of course, is safety. A red flag is ultimately a matter of safety – literally stopping the race is the most drastic action that the race director can take and is most commonly used in the event of a major accident or dangerous situation on track.

Although far from ideal, allowing tyres to be changed under a red flag ensures that all participants who take the restart can effectively do so on an equal footing to each other. With it almost certain that every driver restarting will have fulfilled their two-compound requirement, it means the remaining laps can simply be a straight sprint to the finish, where it is up to the drivers to find a way to get around on track if they want to gain any positions – much like how racing is supposed to be.

While the rule can undermine strategy entirely and result in ‘snakes and ladders’ outcomes that arbitrarily reward or punish drivers indiscriminately, it’s far from the only unfair element in Formula 1. Mechanical problems, collisions, penalties outside of the driver’s control and even weather changes can all transform a driver’s fortunes one way or another. That is the nature of motorsport. So, one could argue, why should the risk of a red flag be treated any differently?

The FIA could amend the regulations so that any tyre changes under a red flag simply do not ‘count’ towards the two-compound requirement. In doing that, they would effectively be adding a compulsory pit stop to grands prix, compelling them to make at least one stop under green flag conditions and meaning any tyres changes under a red flag will not ‘count’ towards their obligation.

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It’s difficult to find a solution to this problem that does not involve complex and complicated rewriting of the regulations to avoid loopholes and not risk creating new problems as a result. Scrapping the two compound requirement and allowing teams to run whatever they want to in races – even if that means without stopping at all – could be a way to reduce the impact of red flags, but will have a profound impact on the racing in typical conditions too. And it wouldn’t change the situation which occured last weekend.

As with so many aspects of F1’s rule book, finding a solution which works in all possible situations is not as straightforward as it often seems. Fixes which appear simple often introduce unforeseen consequences which wily teams are ready to exploit. While the current arrangement is unsatisfactory for many, they may have to accept it and, in the teams’ cases, prepare their strategies accordingly.

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