John N
Formula one is a highly technical and strategic sport. Tyres are an important part of F1; without them, there would be no race. This article discusses all you need to know about the tyres in which F1 cars run on. The article might be a little long but it will be worth your time.
Over the years, different companies have manufactured and supplied tyres to all teams in the championship. In the 1950s and 60s, F1 tyres were supplied by Dunlop, Firestone, and Goodyear. From 1997 – 2009, companies such as Michelin, Bridgestone, Goodyear all supplied the competing teams with tyres. From 24 June 2009, Pirreli became the sole supplier of tyres to Formula one.
Tyre Compounds
There are seven types of tyre compounds. Two for wet driving, the intermediates for light standing water conditions, and the full wet for heavy standing water. The remaining five tyre compounds are used for dry running conditions. They are represented as C1 to C5, with C1 being the hardest tyre i.e it provides the least grip but is the most durable and C5 being the softest with the most grip but the least durable. These five tyre compounds form a scale of durability and grip levels.
The identification method of various tyre compounds is via the color coding on the side of the tyre side walls.
Criteria for Tyre Use
- On the final race day, two sets of the hard and soft tyres are alloted for the final race. One set of soft tyres is allotted for the qualifying sessions in order to aid drivers set quick time laps which is significant to the starting grid on the final race day.
- Drivers are allowed to use a maximum of 3 sets of dry tyres during the free practice sessions, however they must return the same before the start of the next practice session.
Wet Weather Rules
- During the qualifying sessions, full wet and intermediate tyres can only be used if mandated by the race director.
- If the final race starts with the safety car ahead due to rain, the drivers must start with wet tyres. Once the rain subsides, the driver and team can decide to switch to a dry tyre in the first pit stop.
- Drivers who qualify for the race in dry tyres must start the race with the tyres used in the second session of qualifying. This applies for the top 10 drivers from the qualifying sessions. For drivers that qualify outside the top 10, they can start the race on tyres available to them – soft, medium or hard.
Tyre Management
The management of F1 tyres is a very complex task; one in which the Italian manufacturer handles. Asides the development of technologies and new compounds, Pirelli’s handles the logistical aspect of supplying teams the tires for every race weekend. A staggering 1600 tyres is supplied to all 10 teams on a race weekend.
To effectively deliver these tyres to the teams, Pirelli utilizes these methods.
For races in – and – around mainland Europe, trucks are used to deliver the tyres to the race venue. For races outside Europe, sea freight are used to ferry the tyres to the ports and trucks are thereafter used to transport them to the race venue.
It takes a total of 53.3 man hours for a team of technicians to mount, balance and fill each tyre by hand with each tyre braking around two minutes. At the end of a race weekend, teams return their tyres for analyses and recycling. The same procedure is repeated every race weekend. That is a staggering 33,600 tires analyzed and recycled in 10 team race series.
If you ask me, that’s a lot of rubber. Let me know what your thoughts are in the comments section.
Tyre Blanket
Tyre blankets are made of insulation material and have electric elements to cover and heat the tyres before installation/replacement. Formula one tyres are covered during transportation and on race day. They’re covered to keep the tyre’s heat at a specific temperature range for optimal performance. The optimal conditions being 212F depending on the circuit. It is also used as a strategy so that the opposition doesn’t know your tyre management plan.
F1 tyres are also heated to maintain the pressure of the tyre. Tyre pressure gains or loses 1 pound per square inch for every 10F change in temperature. This raises or lowers the vehicle. High temperature and pressure means a stiffer aad elevated drive. Low temperature and pressure means a softer and lower drive. Hence, the need to achieve optimum balancing.
In summary, a lot of work goes on behind the scenes that contribute to the success of a driver on the race track.
