Pirelli have put forward the idea of reintroducing qualifying tyres in a bid to spice up the action during Saturdays three qualifying rounds.
The Italian supplier which made its comeback to Formula 1 this season, has been applauded for its faster degrading tyres which force cars to pit more often.
However, this in itself has presented a problem, mostly during the final qualifying session, Q3. The teams often complete just a single flying lap in the final session, some fail to set a timed lap at all in order to save fresh tyres for the race.
This has diluted to action for the fans, but Pirelli’s motorsport director, Paul Hembery, believes the reintroduction of a qualifying tyre, last seen in 1991, would help to make Saturday more of a stand-alone event.
“We’ve put the idea of qualifying tyres to the teams and we will get their feedback,” he told the latest edition of Autosport magazine.
“If they don’t want to do it, we won’t do it,” he added. “It might be a step too far for next year and too much for the teams to take on board, but it’s something that we have offered.
“We know that the public likes the idea of a qualifying tyre and drivers rather like the thrill of having a qualifying tyre and chasing that ultimate lap.”
He explained why the idea would create more intense action: “It’s a one-shot, zero-mistake tyre so it builds up the tension. It would be an extreme, one-hit tyre, two seconds a lap quicker [than the regular race tyre].”
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