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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.

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

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

  • 1 Car Controller with a yellow armband.

  • One of the tyre mechanics with a red armband, or the mechanic listed below with an green armband, or teh mechanic listed below with a yellow armband, may bring and connect the air hose to the air jacks. Once the wheels have been changed, either the hose must be removed in order to bring the car down, or the car may be released via releasing the in-car non-return valve. No other systems may be used to bring the car down onto its wheels. For cars using a non-return valve, the air hose may be disconnected as soon as this is in place.

  • A maximum of 2 mechanics, clearly identified for the whole procedure wearing green armbands (the same two mechanics must carry out the whole operation, having no possibility to swap their armband) are allowed to carry out any operations needed to change the tyres. For Endurance events, they may only use one pneumatic wheel gun or torque wrench. For Sprint events, an electric wheel gun is also authorised in place of a pneumatic gun. These two people may enter 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 one gun onto the working area,

    • take the new wheels from inside the garage and place the replaced ones inside the pit area (ie behind the line), flat on the ground or on a stand, without taking them from or handing them to any other personnel. Once the tyres have been placed over the line, should they fall, roll or drop into the working zone this will be reported to the Stewards.

    • carry permanently the detached wheels when they ground are outside the pit. However, in order to facilitate the wheel changes, it is possible to lay them flat on ground the near the car. No mechanic may carry more than one wheel at any time.

    • not throw the wheels or drop them,

    • take the equipment back inside the pit.

    • never cross or climb over the refuelling hose.

  • 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 bring and connect the air hose to the air jacks , 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. Removing a tear-off film is considered to be cleaning the windscreen.

  • A Data Technician may download data from the car by cable, card or data stick, without performing any other task. The Data Technician does not require an armband.

  • 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. For the purposes of this article, 'personnel' includes the tyre and refuelling 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.