Pirelli is to ramp up monitoring of tyres at Formula 1’s Qatar Grand Prix after discovering deep gravel cuts in rubber after Friday running.
Following the first day of action at Lusail, F1’s tyre supplier said it had spotted several cuts in sets that it had inspected.
The situation is enough to put it on alert for both the sprint and Sunday's grand prix in case it triggers the risk of punctures.
Pirelli chief engineer Simone Berra said the belief was that the cuts are being caused by loose gravel that has been dragged onto the track and kerbs by cars running wide.
“I've seen a couple of cuts that were quite deep,” he said. “They reached the construction, but they didn't cut any cords, luckily.
“Obviously if you expose the construction and you pass continuously on this gravel, then you can risk having a puncture.”
The situation, which comes on a Qatar weekend when the tyre situation is already quite challenging because of a maximum mileage limits, appears to have been triggered by the addition of new gravel beds.
For this year, new gravel strips have been installed at Turns 6, 10 and 16, while the one at Turn 14 has been made longer so starts earlier.
With drivers regularly abusing the kerbs at the Lusail circuit, there were frequent occasions when drivers ran wide through the new gravel in practice and qualifying.
Adding to the complication is the fact that the gravel appears not to be rounded off – which makes it easier to penetrate the tyres.
“It's quite sharp because it has generated these cuts quite easily,” said Berra. “It seems sharper than other circuits.”
Berra explained that the cuts, which had been discovered on tyres from all four corners, were not enough to feel that drastic action had to be taken immediately before the sprint on Saturday.
However, he suggested that Pirelli and the FIA needed to be extra vigilant about the situation and react if problems did emerge.
“At the moment we are not, let's say, concerned,” he said. “But obviously we need to take into account any possible implication during the sprint and during the race if the situation can create some issues on the tyre, or some punctures potentially.
“Obviously the FIA also will monitor the situation in terms of gravel on track, and they can possibly use a red flag or a safety car to clean the track."
The potential headache over gravel damage risking punctures comes on a weekend when the life of tyres is already on the limit.
Pirelli has imposed a maximum tyre usage of 25-laps per set over the weekend in a bid to avoid the risk of teams pushing the tyres to breaking point.
Concerns about any damage being caused by loose gravel will only add to team headaches as they try to plot their best route through the grand prix.
