Tire regs/define "lap"

[call_me_andrew]

Every driver must complete a lap with each type of tire during a race. But how does one define "complete a lap"? Does it mean that a driver must travel the entire circuit, or does it mean that the driver must cross the finish line?

If it is the latter, a driver with a pit stall before the finish line could run a race on a single-stop strategy (and hard tires), pit on the final lap for soft tires, and take the checkered flag on pit road.

[Easy Drifter]

Ain't rules great?
Another grey area.
Even when the rule book was far smaller I used to spend hours reading and re reading looking for loopholes. Sometimes I found maybe useful ones and sometimes I found ones I intended to keep quiet!
The more rules you have the easier it is to find grey areas or loopholes if you are careful.
You would make a good F1 team mgr.! :D :D
And if you don't think some of the teams have seen that I have some nice ocean front property for sale that only gets wet twice a day.

[leopard]

The problem is to finish the race driver must cross the finish line, no checkered flag in the pit. :)

[ioan]

The problem is to finish the race driver must cross the finish line, no checkered flag in the pit. :)

You must have missed a certain rainy Silverstone race.

[Mark]

A driver can indeed win the race in the pit lane. However 'complete a lap' is quite clear to me. i.e. you must cross the finish line twice, to complete a lap. In the pits or on the track does not matter.

[ioan]

However 'complete a lap' is quite clear to me. i.e. you must cross the finish line twice, to complete a lap. In the pits or on the track does not matter.

I agree with this and I believe that this is the definition that the FIA and it's stewards use too.

[BeansBeansBeans]

A driver can indeed win the race in the pit lane. However 'complete a lap' is quite clear to me. i.e. you must cross the finish line twice, to complete a lap. In the pits or on the track does not matter.

Yup.

Pretty obvious really.

[ClarkFan]

Every driver must complete a lap with each type of tire during a race. But how does one define "complete a lap"? Does it mean that a driver must travel the entire circuit, or does it mean that the driver must cross the finish line?

If it is the latter, a driver with a pit stall before the finish line could run a race on a single-stop strategy (and hard tires), pit on the final lap for soft tires, and take the checkered flag on pit road.

Ah, but what you are really doing here is pointing out the stupidity of the "run both compounds" rule!

ClarkFan

[emporer_k]

If it is the latter, a driver with a pit stall before the finish line could run a race on a single-stop strategy (and hard tires), pit on the final lap for soft tires, and take the checkered flag on pit road.

I might be wrong here but a lot of circuits seem to have all the pit boxes either before or after the start/ finish line rather than some before or some after. because the line is not neceserilly at the front of the grid.
Can anyone shed any more light?

[Bleu]

I might be wrong here but a lot of circuits seem to have all the pit boxes either before or after the start/ finish line rather than some before or some after. because the line is not neceserilly at the front of the grid.
Can anyone shed any more light?

It's everywhere like that. Otherwise you could have situation where two drivers (who are driving 1-2 five seconds apart) pit on the same lap and continue in the same order and positions. However, race is stopped for some reason and if the finish line would be in the middle of the pit lane, driver 2 could end up the winner.

[race_director]

You must have missed a certain rainy Silverstone race.

one of the best races i can remember. 1998 silverstone i guess . :)

[leopard]

I didn't recall where the finish line in the pit lies, it should be ahead of the very first pit, using the same standard for all drivers. How to determine the drivers order if some drivers end up the race in the pit while some different drivers because of unaware of this thing uncommon they take normal finish line?

In the pouring rain pit checkered flag is excusable, drivers have to be fighting off against cold...

[Knock-on]

I've always assumed the finish line in the pits is level with the start/finish line on the pit straight. It may be at the end of the pitlane but surely that would be an unfair disadvantage taking the speed limit into consideration?

Strangly, the official finish line does not have to be where the start finish line is I think.

[Mark]

Strangly, the official finish line does not have to be where the start finish line is I think.

That's right. It's actually quite common to have the finish line at the back of the grid. I think Malaysia does this, and that was certainly the case at Mangy-Cours, maybe Suzuka too.

However in all these cases the finish line continues in a straight line through the pit lane.

Even so the original question is could a driver pit on the last lap and change tyres and then finish the race in the pits, the answer is of course no, no matter where the finish line is, as they won't have done a full lap on that set of tyres.

The minimum you can do is pit for tyres then you can drive around and come straight back into the pits. However that doesn't give any advantage.

[schmenke]

A driver can indeed win the race in the pit lane. However 'complete a lap' is quite clear to me. i.e. you must cross the finish line twice, to complete a lap. In the pits or on the track does not matter.

That makes sense. A lap starts when a driver triggers the start-line sensor, then ends when he triggers it again. To do what call_me_andrew suggests would not define a lap.

[driveace]

The transponder on the car will .register the car has done a lap wether its on the track or in the pit lane,as the transponder registers every time the car crosses the start/finish line

[MrJan]

Can we put tire on the swear filter like sponser and suprise were? You tire of something, a car has a tyre :p :

[call_me_andrew]

A car has a tire, Tyre is a city in Lebanon.

[Mark]

Nah, Formula 1 cars have Tyres. IndyCars and NASCARs have tires.

[leopard]

:) :)