Why does F1 not have an extreme wet tire? Pirelli gives reasons

F1 does not have an extreme wet tire due to visibility issues, claims the sport's sole tire supplier Pirelli. Drivers often struggle to see through the spray of the car ahead in wet conditions, leading to frequent stoppages of races.

Grooved tires generate immense amounts of spray as they dispel water that is stagnant on the track. This effect causes F1 drivers in a train to have extremely low visibility, making the sport very dangerous in wet conditions. While many have suggested that Pirelli add an 'extreme wet tire' to its list of tire options, its motorsport director Mario Isola claims such a tire would make no sense as a tire with bigger grooves would dispel more water, leading to a further reduction in visibility.

Isola told the media:

"At the moment they are not running in full wet conditions because of the visibility, so to also have a tyre [for those conditions] is not useful because they will never use it."

The Italian believes having a device that avoids spray would be a much better solution for the sport, and Pirelli is working very closely with the FIA to make it a reality. Isola continued:

"If the idea is to have a device that is avoiding spray and the visibility is much better so they are running in full wet conditions, we have we need this information to design tyres that are able to cope with these conditions. The Intermediate tyre is obviously not the tyre for heavy rain conditions, because the aquaplaning resistance [for the tyre] is not designed for that."

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Former world champion claims it could get more difficult to win in F1

Former F1 world champion Damon Hill claims the cost cap could change the pecking order in the sport. The Briton praised the new regulations, claiming the cost cap is good for the sport's future.

The FIA introduced new aerodynamic as well as financial regulations in 2022. F1 teams were given a budget limit of $145 million to use for this year's campaign. Hill claims that while the new regulations will require some 'adjusting' in coming times, they are likely to help smaller teams battle the big names.

The 1996 world champion told the F1 Nation podcast:

"This season, the new cost cap regulations, it's hard to remember back to the beginning, when this was a completely new set of regulations. This was all completely new. We didn't know which way it was going to go, and I think it's been a huge success. And we're going to see, long-term, the effects of the cost cap having a role to play and more pressure coming from below, from the teams down the grid who can do more testing [and] more development if they've got the money."

He concluded:

"It will get more difficult to win in this formula in years to come.

As it stands, however, teams such as Haas and Williams are a far way off from the top of the pecking order. The cost cap is yet to take full effect as bigger teams such as Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes still largely dominate the sport.