Tyre Physics:
Black Magic
They look like black rubber circles, but F1 tyres are complex chemical structures that must be kept in a tiny temperature window to work.
The "Operating Window"
F1 tyres don't work when they are cold. They are like hard plastic. They need heat to become sticky (viscoelastic).
Each compound (Soft, Medium, Hard) has a specific Operating Window (e.g., 90°C to 110°C).
❄️ Too Cold
No grip. The car slides across the track surface like ice (Graining).
✅ Perfect
Maximum chemical adhesion. The tyre sticks to the road.
🔥 Too Hot
The rubber melts and becomes "mushy" (Blistering). Grip falls off a cliff.
Why Do F1 Tyres Overheat So Easily?
F1 tyres are designed to degrade. If they lasted forever, there would be no pit stops and no strategy.
The rubber is incredibly soft to generate grip. When a driver pushes hard (sliding in corners), the friction generates massive heat. If the core gets too hot, the rubber chemically breaks down. This is why tyres don't last the whole race—drivers have to manage their pace to stop them from melting.
Why do drivers weave?
Generating Heat
You often see drivers swerving left and right behind the Safety Car. They are not bored; they are desperately trying to generate heat. The friction of scrubbing the tyre against the road generates surface heat, which slowly soaks into the core of the tyre.
2026 Changes
For 2026, the 18-inch rims remain, but the tyres are narrower.
- Front Width: Reduced by 25mm.
- Rear Width: Reduced by 30mm.
This reduces drag (making the cars faster on straights) but also reduces the size of the "contact patch" (the rubber touching the road), meaning slightly less mechanical grip in corners.