Sometimes the difference between a winner and a DNF (did not finish) in Formula 1 racing is made where the rubber meets the road. What rubber drivers are using at any one time is vitally important and heavily regulated, and things can get complex. Luckily, we’ve written an F1 tires guide to help you get your head around it all.
Pirelli currently manufactures, mounts, manages, recovers, and ultimately disposes of all of the tires used in Formula 1. The Italian tire manufacturer’s current partnership with F1 began back in 2011, with its current contract running until at least 2027 — and an option to extend for a further year. The storied company also had plenty of involvement with F1 before its current stint, having manufactured tires for the sport at various points from the 1950s onward.
So what tire options do teams currently have? What do the colors on the sides of F1 tires mean? And what restrictions do teams face in their tire choices? Let’s take a look.
F1 teams have plenty of tire options and some tire restrictions
Overall, there are six main tire compounds, all of which are slicks. Rather than being given designated names, the compounds are instead numbered from C1 to C6. A few years back, the tires ran from C0 to C5, but not much has changed there beyond the numbering.
There are also two specialist tire types: “Intermediates” are designed for when the track is moist and can displace some of the water, giving the drivers more grip and “full wet” tires are designed for use in heavy rain, and if it gets worse than “full wet” conditions, then the race is likely to be postponed.
However, during the race itself, you’re only going to see three tire compounds, and these are chosen well in advance of the race itself. To keep things simple, each compound is color coded: red for soft, yellow for the medium option, and white for the hard compound. As three of the six tires will be chosen, a soft option in something like a hot and demanding race may be the hard option somewhere slower and cooler, like a street circuit. The colors keep things simple and allow fans to quickly identify what compound a team is using.
An intermediate tire can displace 30 liters (roughly 8 gallons) of water per second. Full wets can displace a staggering 65 liters (17 gallons) of liquid in that time. There is a downside though. The compound intermediates and full wets use is very soft. In dry conditions, the rubber would only last one to two laps before degrading to a point where the tire is going to struggle.
How many sets of tires does each F1 team get?
The number of tires provided to each team is limited, and these tires are also strictly controlled. Over the course of a Grand Prix weekend, each driver gets 20 sets of tires in total. That’s broken down into 13 sets of slicks, four sets of intermediates, and three sets of full wets. The slick allocation tends to break down into two sets of hard tires, three sets of mediums, and eight sets of softs.
The number of tires provided for the six races holding Sprint events is also different: Drivers only have 12 sets of slicks to play with instead of 13. In this case, two sets of hard compound tires are still provided, along with four sets of medium compound and six sets of soft tires. Drivers also get five sets of intermediates and two sets of wets on these weekends.
There are also rules regarding tire use and returns. Soft compound tires are usually the preferred choice for qualifying as drivers are doing a limited number of laps as quickly as possible. However, Sprint rules mandate that medium compound tires be used for Sprint Qualifying 1 and 2. Drivers who make it to SQ3 may then use softs. There are no such rules for practice sessions or around qualification for the Grand Prix.
On a race weekend, drivers have to hand two sets of slick tires back to Pirelli following each practice session. This leaves each team with seven sets of tires per driver for the race itself. The exact compounds used in practice and handed back to Pirelli are at the discretion of each team, but two sets per driver have to go back, whether they have been used or not. Teams aren’t allowed to share tires between drivers either, so there’s no borrowing a set of mediums from a teammate, even if you really need it. Each set is marked with the details of the driver it’s designated to, with both Pirelli and the FIA keeping a close eye on things.
If there is a fault or other issue with a tire or a set of tires, a team can flag this with Pirelli. Tires are inspected as they are being added to the wheels, and quality control is exceptional, so the chances of issues occurring are rare. But a new equivalent set will be provided if a team makes a good case.
When is each compound used?
As for when each compound is used, that’s a matter of team strategy and can have a major impact on the race’s outcome. Softer compounds have more grip, allowing a driver to complete a lap faster and to more easily overtake drivers on harder compounds. Harder compounds don’t have as much grip, but they last longer, which means drivers make fewer stops.
Things like temperature and individual driving styles also factor into the tire choices teams make. The exception is intermediates and full wet tires. If rain is falling, these need to be used to displace water as the vehicles drive — much like the grooves on your own car’s tires.
Pick the right compound at the right time and a driver could gain a massive advantage. This includes rolling the dice and switching to slicks a little earlier, hoping the driver can stay in the dry patches created by the tires of the vehicles in front. Similarly, being the first vehicle on intermediates can prove a huge advantage. While you have to stop twice, a softer compound may mean you make up more time than the extra pit stop will cost over the course of a race. Or maybe popping on a set of hards and staying out there is best. Some drivers even like to finish a race on soft compound tires, making up places against those seeing the event out on hards and drivers trying to stay on track with heavily degraded rubber.
