FIA announces sweeping changes to Qatar Grand Prix weekend after safety concerns

The FIA has imposed limits on the lifespan of tyres at the Qatar Grand Prix in the name of safety.

In analysis by tyre provider Pirelli on Friday, a ‘separation in the sidewall’ of tyres was noticed, and concerns were raised over the potential for dangerous tyre damage should they be run for too long in the race.

Pirelli has now imposed a 20-lap limit for new tyres during the race, and 22 for used tyres.

This may mean that teams must rethink their race strategy, with the race becoming more likely to involve three pit stops than the expected two.

An FIA statement explained the issues with the perceived ‘separation in the sidewall’, saying: "It is the view of the FIA and Pirelli that a significant number of additional laps on these tyres could result in circumferential damage of the tyres.

"This issue has likely been caused by the high-frequency interference between the tyre sidewall and the 50mm 'pyramid' kerbs used extensively at this circuit, aggravated by the propensity to ride those kerbs.”

Additional practice session

In addition, the team have been given a 10-minute period on Saturday afternoon to make the necessary adjustments.

At 2pm BST, teams will head out for the quick session to alter their set-up, meaning that the sprint race qualifying session will begin later at 2.20pm.

An FIA statement by the stewards said: “In accordance with Article 11.9.3.o of the FIA International Sporting Code, having received a request from the Clerk of the Course and in the interests of safety, we hereby modify the Official Programme of the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix by adding a Track Familiarisation session of 10 minutes starting at 16:00 hrs.

“The start of the Sprint Shootout will be moved to 16:20 hrs accordingly. Notwithstanding Article 39.1 b) of the Formula One Sporting Regulations, the Sprint session will start at 20:30 hrs.”

Sprint race tyre limit imposed

That is not all the teams must contend with, as the FIA has also decided to introduce a limit on intermediate tyres for the sprint race, saying the decision was ‘based on the weather forecast’.

Published at midday BST by FIA race director Niels Wittich, the FIA document cited article 30.5 part F of the sporting regulations in its decision.

It said: “Based on the weather forecast from the official weather service provider, no additional set of intermediate tyres will be made available to each driver before the start of the sprint.”

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