Pirelli's Isola sees no evidence of F1 tyre cooling trick
Pirelli motorsport boss Mario Isola has dismissed speculation that certain Formula 1 teams might be using a water-cooling technique to manipulate tire temperatures, saying there is currently no evidence to support such a theory.
The rumors emerged after last September's Singapore Grand Prix, where moisture was reportedly found in wheel rims after tire removal, sparking suspicions that some teams might be injecting water or a specific liquid into their tires through valves to help keep them cool during races.
The unusual finding, apparently identified by Red Bull, led the Milton Keynes-based outfit to encourage the FIA to investigate the matter, with the FIA's Nikolas Tombazis consulting with Pirelli and overseeing a tire inspection after the sprint race at Interlagos.
However, the official scrutinizing report from the event stated that all tires inspected were fully compliant with the regulations.
Isola, while expressing Pirelli's commitment to assisting the FIA, stressed that no anomalies have been detected.
“I cannot see anything strange from the data we have. I don't have any evidence,” commented the Italian engineer, quoted by Motorsport.com.
“Obviously, as I said, it's up to the FIA now to decide what to do and to tell us if we can support them, because at the end of the day the only thing we can do is to support them.
“If there is anything we can do to check, or to give them advice on a possible situation, we are here to support.
“I'm not aware of any issue, but I heard the story, and I have also tried to understand why it should be done, which now I have an idea. But for the rest, it's all in the hands of the FIA.”
Although injecting water into tires would theoretically be a simple process, the implications are complex and involve potential downsides, according to Isola.
“How to do that is very easy,” he said. “You have a valve – and you just put water inside.
“But how the system works is a different story. It's basically a thermal effect: heat transfer between the tire and the rim that should give more consistency or less degradation to the tire, even if you have worse control of the pressure.
“Obviously, if you have a vapor steam inside the tire you lose the control of the pressure because you have a pressure that is higher.”
Injecting water or other substances to alter tire characteristics would be a direct transgression of a prior FIA technical directive prohibiting such modifications.
This directive was originally issued after discussions arose regarding some teams potentially using alternative gases inside tires to control pressure.
“The TD came some years ago when there was a discussion on this,” Isola said. “There was a discussion also on special gases where it was suggested some teams were changing the gas into the tire to better control pressure.”
Pirelli, for its part, ensures that the tires are filled with dry air, adhering to FIA regulations that forbid any alterations to this setup.
“We supply the tires with dry air inside. “We have a dryer connected to our system, and they get all the tires with dry air, as in the regulations,” Isola explained.
However, as Isola highlighted, catching teams in violation requires concrete proof.
“In the technical directive, it's written that any modification to this is prohibited, and it's quite clear,” he emphasized. “But then you have to have a clear evidence if you have a situation like that.”
So far, Pirelli's analysis has found no data suggesting that any team is engaging in this practice, leaving the matter in the FIA's hands for further oversight and investigation.
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