The types of tires in Formula 1 and what they are for

At the French Grand Prix, Sergio Pérez managed to get on the podium (third place) with his teammate Max verstappen thanks to the tire strategy carried out by his team Red bull. Unlike Mercedes, the Austrian team opted to make two pit stops to change tires. In the second stop, they chose to use medium tires so that the car was less heavy, and consequently faster, with which he managed to pass Valteri Bottas, and thus add his second consecutive podium.

But why remember this feat of the Czech? During the Grand Prix we are always aware of the skills that the pilots perform during the circuits, and we forget one of the main protagonists of racing, the tiresThanks to them, vehicles reach high speeds, and above all stability, elements that make us enjoy this sport without accidents.

Since 2007, the only supplier of Formula 1 tires is the Italian brand, Pirelli, who for this 2021 launched five options of tires for asphalt which go from C1 (harder) to C5 (softer) This year, the supplier worked to increase the durability and strength of the tires, because for this season, the technical regulations caused the decrease in downforce.

For each Grand Prix, Pirelli offers three tire options, which are distinguished by the color of their ‘face’, white, yellow and red, which provide maximum consistency throughout each running stint. Likewise, the range of tires is complemented by two options for green and blue wet asphalt.

WHITE

It is the toughest and was designed for the most demanding circuits with fast corners and high ambient temperatures.. The compound takes longer to heat up, which makes the cars slower, but it will give drivers more durability on the track as its degradation is low. They are typically used by teams at the second pit stop.