How Do F1 Tyres Work?
So you’ve watched a few races now but are lost amongst all the talk on tyres. It would be no surprise to discover if 30% of all commentating was about tyres. So why all the fuss?
The tyres used by an F1 car are heavily engineered and complex — differing dramatically from those used on passenger cars. How they are used throughout the weekend also requires careful thought and planning. And whilst there’s a lot to be known about tyres, let’s start with a simple primer.
Pirelli is the sole tyre supplier for Formula 1. They are one of the very few components that are common amongst all F1 teams. As such, teams spend many hours understanding their characteristics to harvest as much performance out of them as possible.
Dry Tyres vs. Wet Tyres
Figure 1: Tyre Tread Comparison
There are two broad types of tyres: dry tyres and wet tyres. The key difference between them is the style of their tread. Tread refers to the part of the tyre that makes contact with the road. Dry tyres have a ‘slick’ tread — meaning that the entire surface is smooth to maximise the amount of rubber making contact with the road. Maximum contact between rubber…
