The critical test that will help decide key 2024 F1 rule change

The crucial final test of Pirelli’s blanketless Formula 1 tyres takes place at Silverstone on Tuesday and Wednesday, the final two days of running before a decision is made on whether they will be raced next year.

This will therefore be the last opportunity for Pirelli to gather data that can be presented to the FIA, F1 and the teams about the viability of the ban on tyre blankets, and any other kind of tyre-warming technology, in 2024.

As it stands, the regulations for tyre warmers are the same in 2024 as they are today, but that could change after the Silverstone test.

Who is running?

Red Bull, Williams and Haas will each run a single car in the test.

Daniel Ricciardo will make his return to contemporary Red Bull F1 machinery for the first time since he left the team at the end of 2018, behind the wheel of the RB19 on the first day of running.

Williams is giving each of its race drivers, Logan Sargeant and Alex Albon, a day each, while Haas will split Tuesday between Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen before test driver Pietro Fititpaldi takes over.

What is Pirelli aiming to learn?

Pirelli plans to focus its running on the harder end of the compound range, meaning the C1, C2 and C3 tyres. In its previous test, which followed the Spanish Grand Prix, the focus was on the other end of the range.

“The main target of the test is to see how the new compounds will behave with the most stressful circuit,” says Pirelli F1 chief engineer Simone Berra. “It’s interesting to see if the results from Barcelona are confirmed here if we have lower track temperatures and to see how the C1 that will be the hardest of the range works.”

While Pirelli had already achieved what it calls a “good base” for the structure, there is also some fine-tuning in the construction of the prototype tyres that will be trialled.

How good is the tyre warm-up?

The ability to produce a tyre that performs well but also warms up from cold quickly is the key objective of this development programme. In Barcelona, George Russell talked of the tyres being ready by Turn 5 on an outlap. However, he also gave the caveat that this was in very hot conditions on a high-load circuit, and with tyres towards the softer end of the compound range.

But Berra suggested the warm-up would be good at Silverstone despite the anticipated cooler temperatures. He’s confident that even running harder compounds, the tyres will get up to temperature relatively quickly.

What targets were Pirelli given?

The attempt to ban tyre warmers is a proposal pushed by the FIA and F1 to help with its sustainability objectives, with Pirelli being asked to develop a range of tyres suitable for this. It has already introduced a blanketless wet from the Monaco Grand Prix onwards, and also has a blanketless intermediate ready to go that has yet to be introduced.

But the focus has been on the slick tyres, with Pirelli being given only the vague target of producing tyres that have similar…