Formula One pit crews will be busier than ever this season with the arrival of new sole tyre supplier Pirelli forcing drivers to make many more stops.
Gone are the days when a driver could complete most of a race on a single set of tyres, before a late dash into the pits for the mandatory change, and no more will grands prix be a series of flat-out sprints between stops.
Speaking to Reuters before the March 27 season-opener in Australia, Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery said his company's PZero tyres would wear out far faster than the previous Bridgestone rubber.
While that may not sound like the best marketing for the Italian brand, or for a sport seeking greener credentials, it is all part of a plan drawn up with team bosses and the powers-that-be to make races more exciting.
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"If you want to do durability...then maybe Formula One isn't the right place to do that," said Hembery.
"In any case a Formula One race is only 60 laps, it's not exactly a huge distance for travelling even if you use one set of tyres."
Drivers who have complained in pre-season testing about degradation and expressed their frustration at how the tyres rapidly 'go off' get short shrift.
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