
FIA officially announce MORE Qatar GP changes
F1 News
FIA officially announce MORE Qatar GP changes

The FIA and Pirelli have announced they will enforce a maximum of 18 laps per tyre set due to safety concerns for the Qatar Grand Prix.
This decision comes following issues related to tyre usage and track limit violations that persisted throughout most of the weekend, particularly with the troublesome kerbs at Turn 11 and 12 on the Losail circuit.
Drivers who exceed this tyre limit will face a black flag and disqualification from the grand prix. Consequently, it's highly likely that this weekend's race will require at least three pit stops for each driver.
Although three pit stops aren't mandatory, the 57-lap duration of the race means that it might even surpass the initially predicted three-stop strategy for some drivers.
Initially, it was confirmed that there would be a 20-lap limit for new tyres during the race and a 22-lap limit for used tyres. However, the FIA and Pirelli have since reconsidered and adjusted this decision to an 18-lap maximum per tyre set for safety reasons.
READ MORE: F1 Qatar Grand Prix weather forecast

Pirelli Changes
Pirelli initially raised concerns on Friday, based on their analysis, indicating the potential for dangerous tyre damage if the tyres were allowed to run for an extended duration during the race.
Pirelli had hoped to gather additional analysis from Saturday's sprint shootout race. However, due to multiple safety car periods during the race, their ability to collect data was limited.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri clinched his first win in the sprint shootout, starting from pole position. Yet, he admitted to feeling nervous initially as he was overtaken by drivers on soft compound tyres.
However, due to the tyre degradation, Piastri was able to overtake cars that were on soft tyres while he was using the medium tyres, highlighting the rapid tyre wear during the race.

In an updated statement, the FIA acknowledged that Pirelli's analysis was deemed 'insufficient.' Yet, they opted to implement the changes as a precautionary measure.
The FIA statement read: “Due to the frequency of Safety Car interventions in yesterday’s Sprint, the tyre data available for analysis by Pirelli was insufficient to add to that already undertaken following previous track sessions.
“In some cases, tyres that were analysed from the Sprint did show the initial onset of the separation in the sidewall between the topping compound and the carcass cords of the tyres.
“As was the case in Free Practice 1, this issue has likely been caused by the high-frequency interference between the tyre sidewall and the 50mm ‘pyramid’ kerbs used extensively at this circuit, aggravated by the propensity to ride those kerbs.”
We are yet to witness how this change will impact the drivers' races in the Qatar Grand Prix, but it's clear that strategies will be evolving rapidly within the team garages.
READ MORE: F1 team boss gives 'too big a jump' verdict over Qatar tyre disruption
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F1 Standings

Drivers
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Nyck De Vries
- Liam Lawson
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
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Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2023
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Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023
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Grand Prix of Australia 2023
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Grand Prix of China 2023
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Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2023
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Miami Grand Prix 2023
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Qatar Airways Gran Premio Del Made In Italy E Dell'emilia Romagna 2023
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Grand Prix of Monaco 2023
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AWS Gran Premio de España 2023
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Grand Prix du Canada 2023
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Grand Prix of Austria 2023
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Aramco Grand Prix of Great Britain 2023
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Grand Prix of Hungary 2023
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Grand Prix of Belgium 2023
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Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2023
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Grand Prix of Italy 2023
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Grand Prix of Singapore 2023
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Grand Prix of Japan 2023
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Qatar Grand Prix 2023
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Grand Prix of the United States 2023
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Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2023
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Rolex Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2023
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Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023
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Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2023
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