New Delhi:- Team bosses and F1 chiefs will discuss the tire wrap issue at the F1 Committee meeting at the Belgian Grand Prix on Friday. F1 tire supplier Pirelli has worked hard to develop a tire that does not require preheat, with a testing program coming to an end after the British GP.
But despite being confident they've done everything they can to deliver tires suitable for the current generation of cars, drivers and teams remain highly sceptical of the impact of switching to such rubber.
One of the biggest problems is how much grip the unheated tire will provide immediately out of the pit, which will almost certainly eliminate breakout strategies in races.
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In addition, there are concerns that the tires will be dangerous if riders find themselves with almost no grip in the scramble for position after a pit stop. World champion Verstappen, who arrives at the Belgian GP with a penalty five places from the grid for a gearbox change, has made it clear he sees little benefit from the change, which is motivated by sustainability reasons steady.
"I don't think we should go in that direction," he said ahead of the F1 Committee meeting. "People may not realize how hard it is to drive a 1000 hp car out of a pit, and especially when the track is also a bit slippery. It doesn't have to be.
“I don't think it generates a lot of power, these tire covers. I think an AC generates more when you combine it throughout the paddock.
"And I also think with tires, yes, they can make it work, but then they have to reduce the range so much that when you raise the temperature, the tires are like gum, and pressure will exceed the allowable limit roof.
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"That's not going to make the race any better. I think anyway on a lap where you struggle a lot in a car just to [warm up] the tires, it's going to look stupid. "I think now sometimes racing out of the pits and on hot tires is great. I really don't see why we need to change that.
The first decision to be made at the F1 Committee will be whether the FIA and Pirelli feel that the development of the unheated tire has reached a point where both are satisfied with the change taking place. If both sides believe the tire is ready, the matter will be put to a vote, which would require a majority of the teams to support the decision to ban tyres.
However, such an outlook seems unlikely as most teams do not believe the change is the right direction for F1. However, efforts to change intermediate tires that can be used without warming will get support for 2024.
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After the Belgian Grand Prix all the Team Principles were supposed to discuss about the tyres that will be used not making them to heat up before the race.