After a long testing session at Fiorano, Lewis Hamilton asked Pirelli to review the use of heating blankets on extreme wet tires. A request that could reignite the debate in Formula 1.
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Lewis Hamilton recently took part in an important testing session organized by Pirelli at the Fiorano circuit, the usual home of Ferrari. Over two full days, the seven-time world champion accumulated laps to help the Italian manufacturer continue developing its wet tires for upcoming seasons.
These tests were part of the official days allocated by the FIA for tire testing. During this type of session, teams cannot work on their own technical developments and must follow exclusively the program defined by Pirelli.
For Hamilton, this experience proved particularly physically intense. The British driver admitted to driving a lot over the two days spent at Fiorano, to the point of describing this session as very demanding.
“Fiorano was painful because I did 300 laps in two days” explained the Ferrari driver.
Hamilton demands the return of heating blankets
Beyond the accumulated fatigue, Lewis Hamilton mainly used this session to push Pirelli to reconsider certain technical choices regarding wet tires. Since 2023, heating blankets have been removed from extreme wet tires in an environmental logic and to reduce energy costs.
However, this decision continues to spark debate in the paddock, notably due to the difficulties drivers face in quickly warming the tires in very wet conditions.
Hamilton revealed that he directly asked Pirelli to test wet tires again with heating blankets to evaluate the differences in on-track behavior.
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“They modified the heating blankets for the intermediates, and that’s something I suggested and defended. It was really positive” he explained.
The Brit believes that the progress observed on intermediate tires shows that some adaptations remain possible despite the current restrictions imposed by regulations.
Safety on track at the heart of the debate
Lewis Hamilton mainly considers that the return of heating blankets on extreme wet tires could significantly improve safety conditions when the track becomes particularly tricky.
According to him, starting with tires that are immediately more effective would offer more confidence to drivers in the first corners, where loss of grip is often the most sudden.
“I also said that heating blankets should be put back on extreme wet tires when conditions are the slipperiest” Hamilton detailed.
The Ferrari driver even specified that this solution had already been tested during the Fiorano session, with very encouraging results: “I asked them to put them back, and it was much better.”
This statement from the Brit could now reignite discussions between Pirelli, the FIA, and the teams about the future of wet tires in Formula 1, as criticisms regarding the performance of tires in heavy rain remain numerous over several seasons.
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