Since 2022, BBS has been the standard supplier of wheel rims for all teams as the FIA sought to help bring down costs for competitors.
One area of key focus for BBS since the start of the current rules era, which included a switch to 18-inch wheels, has been the extreme forces the larger dimension rims suffer in impacts compared to the older, smaller designs.
In particular, the way that rims are more exposed to side forces has triggered damage that has, at times, led to the tyre itself popping off the rim and coming loose.
There have been several incidents in recent years where tyres have come free from the rims as the result of damage sustained in a crash.
At the Brazilian Grand Prix last year, when a tyre came off Alex Albon’s Williams due to a collision just after the start, it flew in the air and hit Daniel Ricciardo’s AlphaTauri.
Throughout 2023, and following a request from the FIA, BBS moved to develop an improved version of its wheel rim design, known as MK2, to strengthen its products.
This was gradually rolled out towards the end of last season when new rims came into play with various unspecified teams after the summer break.
Source: Autosport