The Making of The Formula One Car Tyres:

Posted on October 30, 2011 Updated on May 19, 2014

Italian tyre manufacturers Pirelli, have revealed the colours that will distinguish the six different types of rubber that will be used throughout 2011.  Each type will carry its own distinct colouring on the Pirelli and PZero logos affixed to the sidewall. Under the sport’s rules, only two compounds of slick tyre – known as the prime and the option – will be used for each race. In addition to this, intermediate and wet tyres can be fitted if it rains.  The six colours are as follows:  Wet – orange  Intermediate – light blue  Super soft – red  Soft – yellow  Medium – white  Hard – silver

Formula One tyres play a significant role in the performance of a Formula One car. The tyres have undergone significant changes throughout the history of Formula One, with different manufacturers and specifications used in the sport.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, the tyres used in Formula One are built to last less than one race distance.

Tyre summary

The 6 F1 tyre compounds, as supplied by Pirelli for the 2011 season

Compound name	Colour	Tread	Driving conditions	Dry Type	Grip (1 – 4)	Durability (1 – 4)
Hard	Silver	Slick	Dry	Prime/Option1	1 – Least grip	4 – Most durable
Medium	White	Slick	Dry	Prime	2	3
Soft	Yellow	Slick	Dry	Prime/Option1	3	2
Super-soft	Red	Slick	Dry	Option	4- Most grip	1 – Least durable
Intermediate	Light Blue	Treaded	Wet (no standing water)	x	x	x
Full wet	Orange	Treaded	Wet (standing water)	x	x	x

In 2005, tyre changes were disallowed in Formula One, therefore the compounds were harder as the tyres had to last the full race distance (around 300 km). Tyre changes were re-instated in 2006.For the 2007 season Bridgestone became the sole tyre supplier in Formula One with the withdrawal of Michelin, and introduced four compounds of tyre, two of which are made available at each race.

On 2 November 2009, Bridgestone announced their withdrawal from Formula One at the end of the 2010 season. Michelin, Cooper Avon and Pirelli showed interest in taking over the role of tyre supplier. In June 2010, it was announced that Pirelli would be the 2011 sole tyre supplier and would receive a 3-year contract. During August 2010, Pirelli commenced its test programme with theToyota TF109 at the Mugello Circuit with Nick Heidfeld as the test driver.