Pit stops came into focus at Albert Park when wet weather declarations opened a tyre loophole. Picture: Ross Gibb Photography
Supercars will rethink the controversial wet-weather tyre rules, looking to close the loophole that allowed teams to ignore the mixed compound requirement at Albert Park.
The four sprint races at the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix were scheduled as compulsory changes between the hard and super soft rubber.
Several teams, led by Triple Eight Race Engineering and Erebus Motorsport, took advantage of the ambiguity, changing just two tyres – still super-softs – in their CPS instead of all four.
As the rules stand, for any any race declared ‘wet’ before the start, no matter the subsequent conditions, teams can vary their tyre use from the intended format at will.
The confusion at Albert Park is unlikely to happen this year as there are no more events mixing hard and super soft tyres.
For the rest of the series, only soft and super soft rubber will be used, even at the Bathurst 1000.
But in the future, Supercars Head of Motorsport Adrian Burgess agreed that wet tyre race allowances needed to be more controlled.
“We’ll review it,” he told Speedcafe. “I think we need to.”
Mark Dutton, Team Manager at Triple Eight, is not so sure that the rules need to be tightened.
Triple Eight Race Engineering was among the teams to spot the loophole. Picture: Ross Gibb Photography
“It’s a tough one and I try not to be biased but it’s worked for us, and it brings in variability,” he told Speedcafe.
“What do we always talk about? We want some variability in racing, and it’s really hard to do.
“I don’t know if it’s necessarily something that needs to be changed for the future. It can quite easily be changed in the rulebook to warrant that, but I like the variability.
“We started on super softs so if it didn’t happen to be declared, then we had to change all four; doesn’t actually hurt you. It’s still the best strategy unless there’s a Safety Car, then it’s not the best strategy.
“It’s not a clear-cut being declared wet necessarily makes or breaks your race; there are other factors that go into it.
“So, that’s where the complication and the risk and the decision all the teams have to make brings in that variability, so that’s what I think is a good thing.”
Technical staff will make a submission to the rule-advising Supercars Commission, which is next due to meet on April 13.
Any changes will then go to the Supercars board for approval and implementation.
The wholesale exploitation of the mixed tyre rules at Albert Park, despite being legal, defies the intention of the regulation.
It was always meant to give teams options in extreme weather, not to exploit in marginal conditions.
In the wake of the Albert Park aberration, Supercars is set to more clearly define wet races and tyre management.
Keyword: Supercars to rethink wet race rules