“It’s possibly the worst rule ever invented by someone.”
A brutal verdict delivered by Lando Norris on the Formula 1’s regulation which allows drivers to change tyres for ‘free’ during a red-flag race suspension – the very rule which the Briton believes heavily contributed to him and an “unlucky” McLaren finishing only sixth from pole position at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in a race which has left Max Verstappen on the verge of winning the 2024 world title.
But the above put-down about the red-flag regulations was not actually delivered by Norris in the wake of Sunday’s race at Interlagos at all, but instead in December 2021 after disappointment in that year’s Saudi Arabian GP.
Back then Norris was left frustrated after a stop for tyres when running sixth under a Safety Car for a crash for Mick Schumacher ended up proving unexpectedly costly when the red flag was swiftly thrown for subsequent barrier repairs and all the cars who had leapfrogged him but hadn’t yet stopped were then able change their tyres too during the race suspension without losing any positions.
Norris ended up finishing that Jeddah race in 10th.
Fast forward almost three years and, with the stakes now substantially higher in championship terms for the McLaren driver, Norris returned to that theme on Sunday evening in Brazil after a race in which he again lost crucial track position to longer-running cars behind him by pitting just laps before the race was suspended for a heavy crash.
The title-chasing Briton certainly did not mince his words afterwards, describing the tyre-change rule as “silly” and stating that unexpected victors Red Bull ultimately got “lucky on a rule that no one agrees with”.
Norris also claimed that “every driver has disagreed with it in the past”.
Norris’ latter general point was certainly born out by post-race comments at this year’s Monaco GP when a number of drivers called for fresh discussion around the regulation due to the consequences of a lap-one red flag following a big crash between Kevin Magnussen and Sergio Perez.
On a street circuit where tyre degradation is low and overtaking almost impossible, the quirk of drivers all starting the delayed second lap with fresh tyres – and not having to make a mandatory stop as usual therefore having already used the mandatory two compounds – meant only a handful of additional stops were completed over the next 76 laps, creating an especially processional race even by Monaco standards.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso said afterwards “there are certain occasions that the race is compromised” because of the rule, while Williams’ Alex Albon added “if it’s a lap-one red flag, still have a mandatory pitstop in there or something”.
And while Sunday’s red flag in Sao Paulo was clearly different in respect of the fact it happened on a track where overtaking is possible and the race was wet, Norris’ fresh criticism of the regulation thrust the debate back into the spotlight.
What is the exact regulation over red-flag tyre changes?
The rule that allows teams a free change of tyres during a red-flag period is laid out in the FIA’s Formula 1 Sporting Regulations.
While some of what is contained in the 111-page document that governs the rules of a race weekend is complex and, at times, convoluted, this particular regulation reads pretty straightforwardly.
Under Article 57 of the rulebook in the sub-section titled ‘Suspending a Sprint session or a Race’, it states that “cars may be worked on once they have stopped in the fast lane (of the pit lane) but any such work is restricted to that listed in Articles 57.4b)i) to ix)”.
Point vii simply states that work includes: “Changing wheels and tyres.”
Why is it the rule in place?
Over to Sky Sports F1’s Bernie Collins, a former head of race strategy at Aston Martin:
“The red-flag tyre change rules are really interesting and there has been a lot of discussion over many, many years when people have benefitted from them – or not,” explained Collins.
“The first concern and the biggest reason for allowing the change of tyres is when there has been a really big accident. For example, if drivers have driven past the accident and then come into the pit lane, there are a lot of safety concerns over whether the cars have driven through a lot of debris.
“And if didn’t have the current rule and instead you said teams had to prove accident damage before they could change tyres under the red flag, the teams would find a way to prove there was accident damage in order to change them.”
There are other practicalities at play too.
“Even in the example of Sunday, when it was wet, if drivers run a few laps under a full or Virtual Safety Car before it’s red-flagged and then they come into the pit lane quite slowly, the tyres are actually really, really cold at that point and it takes a long time to get them back up to temperature,” added Collins.
“That would then mean you would have a longer red flag while everyone’s current tyres get back up to temperature.
“So overall it is quicker to change the tyres, put on a fresh hot set which they can keep on the car and that’s obviously a lot safer to restart the race than it is on cold intermediates.
“The rule has always been the subject of debate but I think there are pretty good reasons why it’s the way it is, and it’s also universal for everyone.”
Why did drivers not want to use the full wet tyre before the red flag anyway?
In comments made at least partly in jest after qualifying had been postponed on Saturday evening due to sustained bad weather at the track, Lewis Hamilton interrupted F1 president Stefano Domenicali mid-interview on TV to say “you should have sent us out” and that “if you give us better wet tyres and (tyre) blankets, we’ll be able to run in this”.
While clearly made in good spirits, Hamilton’s remarks still leant towards what has been a long-running debate among drivers about the suitability of Pirelli’s blue-walled full wet tyre, which is the step up from the intermediate compound which again almost-exclusively preferred by teams in Sunday’s treacherous Interlagos conditions.
Even as the weather worsened mid-way through the race, the drivers who pitted for fresh tyres as wear levels on their old intermediates started to fade – including Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri, Mercedes race leader George Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc – switched to a fresh set of the same shallower green-walled compound rather than going on to the theoretically more logical full wet.
And Sky Sports F1’s Collins said: “At the moment we have got wets that aren’t heated (via blankets, since the start of 2023 due to a new tyre from Pirelli) at all, so if it was a wet to wet change it makes no difference (under a red flag), but that tyre isn’t working well.
“We saw on Sunday many people in the race just hang out on the intermediates rather than fit a full wet hoping that the race will be red-flagged. So that’s a bigger problem because we do get these red flags because drivers complain about visibility and then you get a free pit stop out of it when the race is stopped.
“So the bigger issue is why teams and drivers are happy to complain about the tyres and the visibility yet not switch to a full wet because the first step in that process should be to switch to a full wet. If the full wet is not working, then it’s a red flag, or if there’s a big accident like we had, also a red flag.”
Formula 1 returns after a three-week break with the Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 22-24, live on Sky Sports F1. Get Sky Sports F1 to watch every race and more live
