Lewis Hamilton has urged Pirelli to reinstate the use of tyre blankets for full wet tyres following an intensive two-day testing session at Fiorano. During the outing, the veteran driver described the experience as "painful," primarily due to the lack of optimal temperature in the extreme wet rubber, which he believes severely compromises both performance and safety.
Technical analysis of the session centered on the operational temperature of the tyres. Since 2023, the use of tyre blankets for full wet tyres has been banned in Formula 1 for sustainability and environmental reasons. However, Hamilton found that without pre-heating, the extreme wet tyres fail to reach the necessary thermal window when first touching a highly slippery track. This leads to a significant loss of initial grip and instability, increasing the risk of accidents during the opening laps of a wet race.
The physical and technical demand of the test was immense, with Hamilton completing a total of 300 laps over just two days to gather comprehensive data on tyre behavior under various moisture levels. During the process, Hamilton specifically requested that the team fit tyre blankets to the extreme wet tyres to benchmark the difference. The results confirmed his suspicions, showing a substantial improvement in vehicle stability and grip when the rubber was pre-heated.
In contrast, Hamilton praised the recent changes Pirelli implemented regarding tyre blankets for intermediate tyres. He noted that the modifications made to the intermediate heating system provided an "amazing" boost in performance. This success in the intermediate category serves as the technical basis for Hamilton's argument that a similar step must be taken for the extreme wet tyres to ensure consistency across all wet-weather conditions.
The current conflict lies between environmental regulations and technical necessity. While the push for sustainability led to the removal of blankets, the lack of heat management for the laziest compounds creates a dangerous performance gap. Hamilton emphasized that ignoring the technical requirement for thermal optimization in the slipperiest conditions can lead to unpredictable car behavior, which is unacceptable at professional racing speeds.
The impact of Hamilton's feedback is likely to be a key point of discussion between Pirelli and the FIA for future regulatory updates. Given his extensive experience, his demand for the return of tyre blankets carries significant technical weight. The focus now shifts to whether a compromise can be reached that satisfies environmental targets without sacrificing the critical grip required to keep cars on track during extreme rainfall.
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