Article 25.4, Section E: Use Of Tyres

As a woman and a fan of Formula One, you would think that in my spare time I would be surfing the Internet on the hunt for that illusive photo of a favourite driver. Maybe browsing through Youtube to see what he is doing in his spare time. I will not lie, any of you that may have me as a 'friend' on Facebook see that yes, sometimes I fit that stereotype very well. But strange as it sounds, I am more likely to be caught at work scrutinizing the FIA's website. Sifting my way through their PDF's of the newest amendments to the Sporting Codes and regulations or trying to decipher the technical regulations. To be honest, I actually have a copy printed off as well, sitting on my desk....

Today was no different. There I was, sitting at my desk today, constantly checking over my shoulder with the FIA's homepage open on the bright screen in front of me. I do this in hopes of finding something that may have been overlooked.

And I did....

"If the race is suspended and cannot be re-started, thirty seconds will be added to the elapsed time of any driver who was unable to use both specifications of dry-weather tyre during the race. However, any driver who completes the race without using both specifications of dry-weather tyre will be excluded from the race results."  - 25.4 (Use of tyres) Section E of the 2011 Formula One Sporting Regulations.

When reading through this new expansion to the rule, I cannot help but think back to the 1991 Australian Grand Prix. The race started under torrential rain and was stopped 17 laps in. The drivers nor the teams had a chance or even the thought to change the tyres.  Yes, the teams used wet-weather tyres but were unable and unwilling to swap them out.  What would the FIA do for something like that?  It would have been next to impossible and dangerous for a tyre change.

The only 'exception' to the rule is "Unless he has used intermediate or wet-weather tyres during the race, each driver must use at least one set of each specification of dry-weather tyres during the race." I am hoping that this is my answer. It is such a vague rule / regulation, that it seems it can be 'interpreted' many ways.  It reads bluntly (to me) that the above mentioned rule is thrown out in the chance of a 1991 repeat.

In the 2010 season, we also laid witness to the Korean Grand Prix where the prospect at the beginning of the race looked as if it would be called as well. And if I am wrong with my interpretation, a small, simple add on like this could make or break a driver's title hopes.

But like everything else with the FIA, I am sure that we will see more amendments and changes as the season progresses.