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38. Tyre Changes

38.1.

Tyre changes may be carried out on the car in the pits/working area of the pit lane and parallel to the pit lane, after refuelling, if applicable, has finished, and the personnel in charge of refuelling have cleared the working area.

Only Nitrogen or ambient pressurised air can be used to fill the tyres or operate the air guns.

1) Personnel authorised in the pit lane working area for tyre changes:

  • 1 Car Controller with a white armband.

  • Either a mechanic, or one of the tyre mechanics with a green armband, may bring and connect the air hose to the air jacks. Once the wheels have been changed, and, in pit stops including fuel, after refuelling has finished, the hose must be removed in order to bring the car down. No other system may be used to bring the car down onto its wheels

  • A maximum of 2 mechanics wearing green armbands are allowed to carry out any operations needed to change the tyres, using only TWO pneumatic wheel guns or wheel nut removing guns (electric) or torque wrenches. These two people may come into the working area and start these operations only once the car has stopped in front of the pit garage, with the engine off.

  • They must:

    • bring only two guns onto the working area,

    • take the new wheels and put the replaced ones inside the pit,

    • carry permanently the detached wheels when they are outside the pit. However, in order to facilitate the wheel changes, it is possible to lay them flat on the ground near the car.

    • not throw the wheels or drop them,

    • take the equipment back inside the pit.

  • The driver exiting the car may assist the driver replacing him.

  • Any other Team members standing in the working area (working lane, Article 34.4) will be considered as mechanics and working on the car, as will a driver if he performs any work on the car.

  • One mechanic may wash/clean the windscreen and lights, remove dirt or grass from the radiator grille, change the water bottle or assist the drivers during the driver change. This mechanic does not need an armband

  • A data technician may download data from the car by cable, card or data stick, without performing any other task

  • 1 'tyre' technician and 1 'brake' technician external to the Team may, without intervening or working on the car, proceed to conduct visual checks as well as with a temperature probe or pressure gauge. They will wear an armband in accordance with Article 12.4.

38.2.

The car cannot leave the pit working area until all personnel and equipment are no longer in the working area. 'Personnel' includes the tyre and refueling and other pit stop personnel, but does not include the Car Controller (who has to be in the working zone for the release of the car) or the exiting driver.