Pirelli says standing F1 restarts need more research

The FIA last week ratified a tweak to F1's rules for 2015 that means cars will form up on the grid for a stationary start at the end of safety car periods - rather than rolling across the line as happens now.

Some drivers have expressed safety concerns about the change, with there being particular worries about having a standing start with very worn tyres.

Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery has admitted that the tweak does not appear as straightforward to introduce as some have suggested, and reckons work will be needed to ensure that there are not problems when it happens.

"We need to understand a little bit more detail," he explained. "There will be a standing start but after how much time.

"You see the cars when they come in, there are all sort of blowers that are used, so there are lots of issues involved.

"It's not just about the tyres losing temperature, it's about the cars maybe overheating, so it's something they'll need to perfect.

"From our point of view we've obviously run behind safety cars, so temperatures and pressures have dropped.

"We would have to do some simulations to work out how long will they be sat on the grid, and that's something we will want to look at"

McLaren's Jenson Button was one driver who believed that there could be complications for drivers caused by standing starts that teams had not thought about.

"I think it is great for the fans, it puts on a great show, and the start is an exciting part to the race," he said.

"The thing is though that when you start a race you have new tyres, so you could find yourself with five laps to go, six laps to go and your tyres are almost bald already - and you need flat out laps to keep heat in them.

"So you will struggle off the line and it will be tricky for all of us to keep the car pointing in the same direction off the start.

"It could cause mayhem. It will make for better TV but there perhaps needs to be a rule about the tyres."