Force India suggest teams pick their own tyres for F1 races

Force India's Chief Operating Officer Otmar Szafnauer wants teams to be able to pick their own tyre compounds for each Grand Prix.

Currently Pirelli nominate two of their four dry compounds for each race, with the choices made clear to the watching audience thanks to colour coded logos.

This has drawn more attention to the tyres, compared to previous provider Bridgestone when they also brought two of their compounds to each race, but the rubber was only marked to show which one was softer.

However, rather than being dictated to by the tyre firms, Szafnauer thinks it would spice up F1 if teams could opt for how hard or soft a tyre they wanted.

“What it would do is it would mix up the strategy,” he told Sky Sports News HQ. “So perhaps somebody that might want to be on pole position and take a gamble at the race, but know that getting that pole position might mean that the tyre they set that pole position time on will degrade quicker so they may have to stop more often.

“So I think you gamble a little and perhaps favour qualifying over the race or vice versa. It will just mix it up.”

Pirelli have said such a change could cause safety concerns, but that has been dismissed by Force India’s deputy team principal Bob Fernley.

“I think it is absolute nonsense, I think the teams have phenomenal expertise in tyre management and control, probably as good and in some cases maybe even better than Pirelli, so we certainly would never compromise safety,” Fernley said.

“I think if someone wants to take a decision on a qualifying position it would compromise, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it is going to compromise safety anywhere.

“I think Otmar suggestion has great merit, is well worth looking at and I think it would give a more random effect and make the teams work a bit harder.”