BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — New tire rules coming for next weekend’s race at the Brickyard.
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES announced, Saturday, that for the Sonsio Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, next Saturday, teams must use two sets of both Firestone blacks (hard tires) and Firestone reds (soft tires). That’s an increase from one set of each. Teams must complete two laps, one under green, to satisfy the rule.
IndyCar announced that these changes won’t affect Sunday’s race at Barber Motorsports Park, where the current rules of one set each will remain in place. Moreover, IndyCar said it’ll evaluate the new rule for use in future races after the road course race at Indianapolis.
IndyCar said in a release that the changes seek to “ensure an all-out, driving on the limit, thrilling and entertaining product for fans” and create more of a challenge.
“INDYCAR is continually looking into ways to improve an already extraordinary on-track product,” INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles said. “Firestone is a terrific partner, and their higher degradation alternate tire has given strategists plenty to think about on road and street circuits this year. We expect this update will challenge teams and drivers even more.”
These changes come in the midst of a season where drivers lodged complaints about the combination of the weight of the new hybrid system and the tire degradation at St. Petersburg and Long Beach led teams to abandon the soft tires as quickly as possible.
