What tyres are used in F1?
Pirelli provides three different compounds of slick tire, as well as the intermediate and full-wet tire, for teams to utilise over a race weekend. There are six slick compounds within the range, numbered from zero to five from hardest to softest. These are known as C0 to C5, with the ‘C’ standing for ‘compound’. Pirelli’s range of 18-inch tyres for the 2025 campaign comprises six ‘slick’ compounds (from hardest to softest: the C1, C2, C3, C4, C5 and C6), along with ‘intermediates’ and ‘full wets’ to account for inclement weather conditions.
Which F1 tyres are faster?
Soft tyres are the fastest but wear out quickly (you will need to pit stop earlier). Hard tyres are slower but last longer. Medium tyres are a combination of Soft and Hard tyres, their speed and duration between the two. Soft tyres (Red) – These represent the fastest rubber, but are likely to wear out before the harder compounds do. Medium tyres (Yellow) – This is the compromise compound. It’s usually slower than the softs but faster than hards.For F1, the rubber compounds are fine-tuned into different categories: soft, medium, and hard for dry conditions, as well as intermediate and wet compounds for unpredictable weather. Soft compounds offer exceptional grip but wear out quickly, making them suitable for fast laps or short stints.Soft compounds warm up faster, increasing the ‘stickiness’ of the rubber which maximises the contact patch area, leading to higher grip. However, the punishing longitudinal and lateral loads, combined with the constant sliding that race tyres are subjected to, leads to accelerated wear and degradation.
Do F1 teams pay for tires?
Contrary to popular belief, F1 teams do not pay for the total amount of the tires. Instead, they pay a flat fee for the season. This fee covers the price of tyres for all races, testing, and practice sessions. The flat fee system ensures that all teams have equal access to tires, regardless of their budget. Formula One (F1) tires are a crucial component of race performance, with each set costing about $2 700 USD (£2 133). For a Grand Prix weekend, where each F1 team requires 13 sets per driver, the total price of tyres per race per driver amounts to $35 100 (£28 205).
How long do F1 tires last?
Formula one tyres bear only a superficial resemblance to a normal road tyre. Whereas the latter has a useful life of up to 80,000 km (50,000 miles), the tyres used in formula one are built to last less than one race distance. f1 tires wear so fast because drivers use as much of the tire’s grip as they possibly can throughout the race. This means the tires are constantly working at high temperature and are subject to rapid degradation in return for high levels of grip. They often only last 100km (60 miles) or less.During a Formula One race, drivers make between one and three pit stops. Each time they stop, all the tires are changed. This means a single racing vehicle uses 16 new tires in a three-pit-stop race. In addition, any tires fitted to the rims are considered used, even if they haven’t been driven on for very long.F1 teams are allowed to use 13 sets of dry weather tires per car during a standard race weekend, along with four sets of intermediate tires and three sets of full wet tires. Teams receive 20 total sets of tires per car for each race weekend, though this number drops to 12 dry sets during Sprint race weekends.F1 tires usually last anywhere from a few laps to almost the full race distance. The hard compound tires are the most durable, and they can last around 120 miles (20-50 laps), depending on several conditions, such as the driver’s ability, track conditions, and the specific compound used.