what is/was the advantage for putting the right tyres on the left and vice versa?

Reversing tyres - running them on the opposite side to the one they are designed for - is not a new trick but has come and gone with different tyre suppliers.

Pirelli tyres are asymmetric, requiring the outer face of the tyre is mounted on the outer face of the wheel, but they are not strictly directional, meaning that a reversed tyre will work.

It is common practice for teams to reverse a worn set of tyres and the outer shoulder of the tyre is still the outer shoulder when reversed and there does not appear to be a performance advantage.

Instead, it is about teams aiming to get more use from worn sets because tyres on one side of the car will wear more the other.

Because of the asymmetric design of the steel belt in the pre-Nurburgring tyres, there is the problem that a reversed tyre has the joint between its two ends pointing in the opposite direction, making it easier for it to separate if there is a problem with the tyre's shoulder, as happened at Silverstone.

"The steel belt was angled in one direction which is why, when you invert it, it actually goes into a point rather than being pushed along the top of the belt. That is why it creates a weakness.

"Kevlar is not as rigid as steel, and it also operates at lower temperatures, so it gives you greater margin from that point of view.

Before. Now the FIA have a steward (I missed his name) who is policing the pit lane. He has the ability to check any of the teams at any time. He's allowed to check the tyre rotation direction (which is obviously what the FIA are now stopping with the no-swapping rule), the tyre pressures and the camber.

Minimum tyre pressure this week is 16 PSI, and it is enforced this time, not just a recommendation. Minimum camber is negative 4 deg, also enforced. These are based on Pirellis recommendations.

Its not often I get to see free practise but everytime I do I enjoy Brundle's trackside bits out and about on the circuit commenting on drivers' different approaches to corners. A bit like Mark Hughes does in Autosport.

Will be fun if there are absolutely no tyre problems this weekend because of this. The teams then owe Pirelli a mayor apology .

It is better to have larger gaps than smaller.

(Mercedes is off the pace going by Nico's stint shown)

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