Republished with full copyrights permissions obtained from the Sports Today Magazine.

As the Formula 1 season progresses, the Italian Grand Prix promises to bring fresh changes to the exciting world of motorsport. With modified qualifying rules and revised tyre usage, fans can expect a thrilling spectacle at Monza this weekend.

Collaborating with Pirelli, F1 aims to experiment with a new rule called “Alternative Tyre Allocation” (ATA) to determine the tyre compounds teams can employ during each qualifying segment. With this modification, the total number of slick tyre compounds available for the weekend has been reduced from 13 to 11. These will be divided into three hard tyres, four medium tyres, and four soft tyres.

During the qualifying sessions, teams face restrictions on the compounds they can use in dry conditions. In Q1, teams are mandated to use the hard compound, followed by the medium compound in Q2. Finally, in Q3, teams have the opportunity to utilize the soft tyres. However, in case of wet track conditions, teams enjoy the freedom to choose any compound.

Originally scheduled to debut at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in May, this new format encountered a delay due to severe flooding in the region. Consequently, the rule made its first appearance at the Hungarian Grand Prix in July.

Prior to the race in May, Pirelli Motorsport Director Mario Isola explained the underlying motivation behind these changes, emphasizing Formula 1’s commitment to sustainability.

“The new regulation at Imola requires teams to use different compounds for each of the three sessions, aiming for harder tyres in Q1, medium in Q2, and softer in Q3,” said Isola. “This reduction in the number of dry tyre sets available to each driver, from 13 to 11, contributes to minimizing the environmental impact generated by tyre production and transportation.”

Analyzing the impact of this format during the Hungarian Grand Prix, some experts believe it played a role in George Russell’s unexpected Q1 exit. While Russell sought a strong lap in the closing minutes, he encountered considerable traffic hindering his performance.

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff commented on the challenging conditions, stating, “Q1 was overall messy, not only for us but for many others. So many cars on a single piece of track. We put them in the wrong position… That obviously completely screws your last lap.”

Russell himself highlighted the reduction in track running caused by ATA as a potential drawback, echoed by other drivers. He emphasized the need for a better solution to maintain the excitement for fans.

Nevertheless, as the grid heads to Monza with the ATA system in place, anticipation builds regarding the impact it might have on the weekend’s thrilling action.

This post “Changes in Tyre and Qualifying Rules Create Excitement at the Italian Grand Prix” was published with full copyrights permissions obtained from the Sports Today Magazine.