Lewis Hamilton has warned that the intended ban on tyre blankets is wrong, the seven-time world champion stating that the move is dangerous.

For as long as anyone can remember there has been talk of banning the blankets, mainly due to costs but also sustainability.

Now, the ban is looking to come into effect next season, with a vote on the issue expected later this year.

The reason the matter has been constantly delayed is because Pirelli has been unable to provide a tyre that would be competitive straight out of the box - so to speak - in terms of tyre pressure and temperatures.

Now however, ahead of the all-important vote, Pirelli has come up with a tyre which it believes will do the job, but having tried it Hamilton is unconvinced.

"I think it's dangerous" he said. "I've tested the no blankets (tyre), and there is going to be an incident at some stage. So, I think it is the wrong decision.

"You have to drive multiple laps to get the tyres to work," he continued. "The whole argument is that taking away the blankets is going more sustainable and more green, but in actual fact we just burn more fuel to get the temperature into the tyres.

"The more concern is when you go out you are skating around and it is very twitchy," he added. "If someone else is on tyres that are working, you can easily collide with them. So, it is a pointless exercise."

"I still don't understand why F1 is moving away from blankets," agreed Carlos Sainz. "For me, it makes no sense because you're burning more fuel to warm up the tyres. In the interests of sustainability, I just don't understand the philosophy.

"It puts the drivers at risk with these lower ride-height cars," he warned. "It's the direction F1, the FIA and Pirelli have decided to take, so we need to adapt, I guess."

"I don't have a clear feeling," admitted Pirelli's Mario Isola, "and honestly it is difficult to make a prediction.

"I believe that it's a target of everyone to go in this direction for sustainability, but clearly nobody wants to damage the show.

"I don't want to say it's an impossible target, because it is not an impossible target. But it's a very big challenge."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by alvarezh3, 01/03/2023 8:54

"Former IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe has been quoted as saying: "Cold tires mean less throttle use and higher lap times, which means less fuel consumption." Which makes sense to me.

Totally opposite what Carlos Sainz declared!.

Additionally, since you have less grip, there is less stopping power so you have to let go of the throttle earlier as you need to use the brake for a longer distance.

Apparently F1 drivers are also making presence at the same lying teaching schools the best politicians attend."

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2. Posted by kenji, 28/02/2023 0:03

"@Superbird70 ...When will he protest the carbon fibre used in the car's construction as a derivative of fossil oils? To take this a bit further he might like to protest the use of Nomex as well seeing it's a derivative of petroleum based oils too. This shameless exploitation of the F1 platform needs to be curtailed sooner rather than later but I do fear that previous activities sanctioned by the rights owners and some teams, jumping on the bandwagon, will now make this an almost impossible task."

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3. Posted by Superbird70, 27/02/2023 15:49

"Isn't the same for all the drivers? What next, a ban hydrocarbon based fuel because of the fire risk?"

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4. Posted by kenji, 26/02/2023 23:35

"@Defiant.... quite right. Memo to the GOAT...'if you are concerned that you cannot control your car adequately so as to ensure both yours and the other drivers safety, then I suggest that you withdraw your labour'. The golden rule to driving is first and foremost, 'drive to the conditions' and this includes the condition of the tyres. Simple really. "

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5. Posted by Defiant, 26/02/2023 20:14

"Sorry Lewis, I don't agree with your point as a whole. The difference in performance between vehicles is a concern for sure, but endurance have been dealing with that for years and mostly manage without fine. They even have darkness to add to their worries.
You've managed to drive in the rain for years and that's slippery too. Wanna stop that too?? I hope not.

Just stop complaining and put that effort into working out the best way to get the most out of the tyres you're gonna be using. If you're as good as your record suggests, this may work to your benefit. If not... oh well, there's always retirement
"

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6. Posted by alvarezh3, 26/02/2023 14:24

"Ha, ha, ha, well Kenji don't be surprised if we start to see "men" giving birth :-) hopefully I'll be dead by then! :-)"

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7. Posted by kenji, 26/02/2023 13:56

"@Alvarezh3...Well most of the complaints seem to originate from one team and one driver...now that Grettel has reired, just do the analysis. I seem to recall a distinct lack of complaints [ by comparison ] just some few years ago. The world has turned to mush...where everybody is a victim!! Surely it's time to draw the line and say enough is enough. Just get on with the racing... like real men dont drive pink cars and boys don't wear princess dresses...or at least they never used to!"

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8. Posted by alvarezh3, 26/02/2023 13:13

"Well Kenji, if F1 drivers don't find anything to complain about, then it's not F1!"

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9. Posted by kenji, 26/02/2023 12:59

"@ Spindoctor...and there you have it. 'Hamilton, who has actually tried the new tyres ,considers them dangerous'. So what? He's just one driver out of 20+. What this actually means that managing the tyre temps even further adds another level of complexity and that is anathema to him . He's got enough to worry about right now facing a declining level of relevance amongst other things. He'd be far happier if Pirelli introduced rainbow striped tyres!!! Now there's an idea."

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10. Posted by Spindoctor, 26/02/2023 12:24

"Don't necessarily think comparing racing production cars on slicks is quite analogous to running Formula 1 cars on highly specialised tyres.
Pirelli's efforts have "suffered" from having very narrow operating temperature windows, outside which they offer low\erratic grip levels and\or degrade rapidly. Anyone who's followed F1 for many years will be familiar with the ludicrous consequences of the "Tyre Management" which this has necessitated.

I'm pretty sure that the Drivers are perfectly capable of controlling the cars, but that's not the issue. The problem is that these new tyres will require a warm-up phase during which they have significantly reduced performance. This will naturally add a lot of "spice" to the spectacle, but I'm not sure it will enhance the racing. Lewis Hamilton, who has actually tried the new tyres, considers them "dangerous" owing to this degraded performance.
If Pirelli can develop a tyre that works from cold & then doesn't degrade horribly after 10 laps maybe it can be a success, but with what we currently know they haven't yet and Liberty would probably prevent them from doing so in order to amp-up the DTS-ness of the spectacle."

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11. Posted by alvarezh3, 26/02/2023 3:41

"Oh, I forgot.....

Rain tires are too dangerous as they don't provide the same amount of grip as slicks and most likely will eventually provide a condition for an incident or accident.

As there is no alternative available. In the name of safety F1 racing in the rain should be eliminated a la NASCAR.

PLEASE, F1 drivers, no need to applaud me!"

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12. Posted by alvarezh3, 26/02/2023 3:12

"No race tire is competitive out of the box, no matter the brand. If tires could be at maximum grip when at ambient temperature then they would overheat and start to slide when the temperature goes up after a few laps. It's the intrinsic characteristic of natural or synthetic rubber which is chemically almost impossible to completely modify.

How many drivers has ended up at the hospital (much less, dead) in Indy car, F2 or IMSA as a consequence of not using tire warmers? Anyone?

Just because a driver, team principal or even an engineer says there will be more fuel used if tire warmers are eliminated does not mean it's true. We need proof of such a vague statement.

I have raced with Goodyear slicks and with for road use Pirelli's model P7s. All you have to do is be more careful as the tire grip is not at best at ambient temp and at a slightly lower pressure (pressure will rise to the desired value with rise in tire temp).

The so called "best" drivers in the world can not control such a condition? Really? They love to be described with such superlative adjetives, but they don't want to be asked to prove it!

I am waiting for the moment the drivers will start complaining to mother nature's natural behavior of providing earth's atmosphere with wind gusts that will cause DANGEROUS loss of downforce and can send them to a FATAL crash.

Driving a F1 car on asphalt is too dangerous. At one point in time the drivers will want to compete from the safety of their living room and get assurances of never getting to an incident, much less an accident that could send them to the hospital. Additionally, training exercises needed to withstand a "real" F1 car's G forces are dangerous, just ask Stroll, such needed workouts would be eliminated too in the name of safety. No?

What next?"

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13. Posted by kenji, 26/02/2023 1:05

"Safety issues? Aren't these drivers the cream of the crop? The worlds best and they can't adapt to unheated tyres for a couple of laps? What a load of old garbanzos......"

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14. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 25/02/2023 21:08

"Auto racing and "sustainability" are already at odds.

The races should only be virtual to minimize the impact on the planet... It's all BS virtual signaling."

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15. Posted by rambler, 25/02/2023 17:22

"Maybe they should try a sprint on unheated tires, FIA to pay for any damage. May make a few people think again.

It will be interesting to see how the teams get round this. Warm areas in the garage? Ovens, sorry, heated cupboards? Heat guns on the tyres? Divert the exhaust through the wheels? Drag the brakes, so heat from discs heats the wheel and tyres? All of these will use energy, will they be more or less energy efficient than tyre blankets? Will they raise the energy cap on the cars?"

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Hamilton warns against "dangerous" tyre blanket ban

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