To keep them warm.
A larger explanationA few years ago a driver who most thought was going to win the world championship died in a crash.
After an inquiry it was found that:
- There had been a stoppage in the race (red flag)
- That the tires had cooled
- That the cold tires did not support the car correctly under racing conditions
- That the warm up lap prior to the restart was not enough to reheat the tires correctly
- That while entering a corner at full throttle and high speed the car struck a small bump
- The bottom of the car touched the ground and this upset the aerodynamics enough that the car became airborne.
- This caused a lack of control causing the car to skim over a gravel trap and head on into a wall
Safety changes:
- Tires must be preheated with heater blankets to operating temperature before the car leaves the pits including the tires installed during a pit stop
- The corner gravel trap and wall where the accident happened have been modified.
