Pirelli’s top executive, Mario Isola, confirms that Pirelli has found no evidence to support rumors that some teams are injecting water into their tires. Red Bull brought the potential issue to the attention of the FIA after moisture was found on the rims of F1 cars in Singapore. The FIA also found no evidence after conducting an investigation at Interlagos.
The rumors were sparked shortly after the Singapore Grand Prix when moisture was discovered on the rims of several F1 cars. It was alleged that multiple teams were pumping water, or another liquid, into their tires to keep the tire temperature low during races. Red Bull alerted the FIA, and the governing body initiated an investigation after the sprint race in Interlagos.
However, the FIA found nothing in São Paulo, and Pirelli also did not encounter any anomalies with the tires. “I see nothing strange in the data we have. I have no evidence,” Pirelli’s top executive, Mario Isola, told Motorsport.com. “Of course, as I said, it is now up to the FIA to decide what they are going to do and to tell us if we can support them, because ultimately all we can do is support them.”
Negative Implications
Although injecting water into tires would theoretically be a simple process, according to Isola, the implications are not. The process could even have potential disadvantages for the teams. “How you do it is very simple,” explains Isola. “You have a valve and you just put water in. But how the system works is another story.”
“It is essentially a thermal effect: heat transfer between the tire and the rim that should provide more consistency or less degradation of the tire, even if you have less control over the pressure,” the Italian continues his explanation. “It is clear that if you have vapor in the tire, you lose control over the pressure because you have a higher pressure.
