How Tires Work in Formula 1

By Lavesh Pillay

In Formula 1, engines push the car forward and wings press it down, but only the four tire contact patches—each about the size of a postcard—connect everything to the track. Managing those patches is often the difference between winning and fading.

What an F1 Tire Is Made Of

Part	What it does	Why it matters
Carcass	Layers of strong synthetic fibre under the rubber	Gives the tire its shape and strength at 300 km/h
Sidewall	The vertical “ring” you see from the side	Soaks up kerb hits while staying stiff in corners
Tread	The outer rubber that touches the asphalt	Provides grip—too cool and it slides, too hot and it wears

The sweet‑spot temperature for slick tires is roughly 95‑110 °C. Stay in that window and grip is high; drift outside it and performance drops quickly.

Dry‑Weather Slicks: From C1 to New C6

Pirelli now offers six slick compounds, numbered hardest‑to‑softest: C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6

Hardness	Typical use	Band colour on race weekend*
C1	Very abrasive tracks, high temperatures	White
C2	Long stints where durability beats speed	White
C3	“All‑rounder” seen at many circuits	Yellow
C4	Smooth asphalt or cool weather	Yellow
C5	Short, fast stints and qualifying	Red
C6	New for 2025: ultra‑soft for street circuits like Monaco	Red

*Only three compounds come to each Grand Prix. Pirelli re‑labels them Hard (white), Medium (yellow) and Soft (red) for clarity.

The debut of the C6 at Imola adds a fresh layer of strategy for teams chasing extra grip at the cost of faster wear.

Rain‑Ready Rubber

Intermediate (green band) – shallow grooves clear spray on a damp track.
Full Wet (blue band) – deeper channels pump away heavy standing water.

Both wet types go onto the car cold; they are designed to warm up on track. Slicks and intermediates may still be pre‑heated in electric blankets—70 °C for slicks, 60 °C for inters—up to two hours before running.

Keeping Tires in the Window

Drivers weave on out‑laps and work the brakes into corners to build heat. Engineers fine‑tune:

Pressures – lower for grip, higher for durability.
Camber – slight inward tilt helps load the tire evenly.
Brake‑duct airflow – controls how much heat moves from brakes to wheels.

If the fronts overheat first, the car understeers (pushes wide). If the rears cook, it oversteers (rear steps out).

Strategy Basics for 2025

Mandatory mix – In a dry race every driver must use two different slick compounds, ensuring at least one pit stop.
Stint lengths – Harder tires run longer but are slower; softer tires are quick but wear out.
Undercut/overcut – Stopping early for fresh rubber (undercut) can leapfrog a rival; staying out longer on old tires (overcut) can work if lap times hold up.
C6 wildcard – On street tracks a late switch to the ultra‑soft C6 may deliver a last‑minute charge—if the driver can nurse it to the finish.
Weather pivots – A sudden shower forces teams to gamble: stick it out on slicks or dive in for intermediates? Mis‑timing by even a lap can cost 20 seconds.

Take‑aways for New Fans

Colour equals compound – White = hardest, Yellow = medium, Red = softest on that weekend.
Watch the lap times – If they start dropping off, the driver’s tires are past their best.
Pit‑stop timing is key – A well‑timed stop can gain more than a second per lap immediately.
Rain resets everything – Strategy can flip the moment the first drops hit the visor.

Conclusion

Tires may look like simple black circles, but in modern Formula 1 they are finely tuned performance tools that govern speed, handling and tactics. With six slick compounds and evolving wet‑weather rubber, 2025 offers teams more choices—and fans more drama—than ever before. The next time you see a driver dive into the pits, you’ll know the science and strategy rolling out with that fresh set of Pirellis.

Want more beginner‑friendly tech explainers? Head over to our F1 Explained hub, or explore official tire data on Pirelli’s Formula 1 site.

How Tires Work in Formula 1: The Science Behind Performance and Strategy