Tyre Strategy Explained:
Compounds, Slicks & Pit Windows
They look like simple black circles, but F1 tyres are complex chemical engineering. Understanding them is the key to understanding the race.
What Are the F1 Tyre Compounds?
At every race, Pirelli (the tyre supplier) brings 3 dry-weather compounds. To make it easy for fans, they are always painted with the same 3 colours:
Soft
Fastest but Fragile
Highest grip, fastest lap times, but wears out very quickly. Used for Qualifying and race starts.
Medium
The Balance
The perfect compromise between speed and durability. The most popular race tyre.
Hard
The Marathon Runner
Slowest to warm up and lowest grip, but can last for half the race distance or more.
When to Pit? (The Strategy)
Teams choose their tyres based on the "Pit Window".
- Softs: Good for 10-15 laps. Used to jump people at the start.
- Mediums: Good for 20-30 laps. The standard race tyre.
- Hards: Good for 40+ laps. Used for a "One Stop" strategy.
Why choose Hard over Soft? The Hard tyre is slower per lap (maybe 0.5s slower), but because it lasts longer, you might save a whole 24-second pit stop by not having to come in again.
How Wide Are F1 Tyres?
F1 tyres are massive, but they are getting slightly narrower in 2026.
For the 2026 season, the wheel rim size remains 18 inches, but the tyre width has been reduced to save weight and reduce drag:
- Front Tyres: Reduced by 25mm (now approx 280mm wide).
- Rear Tyres: Reduced by 30mm (now approx 375mm wide).
Do F1 Cars Use Winter Tyres?
No, F1 cars do not use "winter tyres" like road cars. They use "Wets".
If it rains, teams switch to grooved tyres that can displace water. There are two types:
- Intermediate (Green)For light rain or drying tracks. Can clear 30 litres of water per second.
- Full Wet (Blue)For heavy rain. Can clear 85 litres of water per second.
Why Are F1 Tyres Smooth (Slicks)?
To maximize the contact patch with the road.
Grooves (tread) are only needed to move water out of the way. In dry conditions, you want as much rubber touching the asphalt as possible. A smooth "slick" tyre puts 100% of its surface area on the road, providing maximum grip.
Are Tyre Blankets Banned in 2026?
No, tyre blankets are still permitted for 2026.
There were long discussions about banning them to save energy, but the FIA and teams agreed to keep them for safety reasons. Cold slick tyres have very little grip (like driving on ice), and banning blankets would have required a completely new type of tyre construction that wasn't ready.
The "C" Compounds
Here is the confusing part: The "Soft" tyre at Monaco is not the same as the "Soft" tyre at Silverstone.
Pirelli actually makes 5 different compounds, ranging from C1 (Hardest) to C5 (Softest).
- C1Concrete-hard. Used for high-speed tracks like Silverstone.
- C2Hard/Medium range.
- C3The most versatile tyre. Often the "Medium".
- C4Soft.
- C5Super soft. Used for street tracks like Monaco.
Why Do F1 Tyres Degrade So Quickly?
Because they are designed to.
F1 tyres are made of extremely soft rubber to generate massive grip. This softness means they generate heat easily, which breaks down the chemical bonds in the rubber ("Thermal Degradation"). This is intentional—it forces teams to make strategic pit stops.
Commentators often distinguish between "Deg" and "Wear":
đŸ”¥ Thermal Deg
The tyre gets too hot, and the chemical bonds in the rubber start to break down. The tyre loses grip, and lap times get slower. This is the main reason drivers pit.
đŸ“‰ Physical Wear
The rubber physically wears thin (like an eraser). If it wears too much, you get a puncture.
Graining vs Blistering
Two common problems you will hear about:
- Graining (Cold): The tyre is too cold. It slides across the track surface, tearing little chunks of rubber off. These chunks stick to the surface of the tyre, reducing grip. It looks like the surface of a rough sandpaper.
- Blistering (Hot): The inside of the tyre gets too hot (boils), causing bubbles of air to form under the surface. Eventually, these bubbles burst, tearing holes in the tyre.