How Many Tires Are F1 Teams Allowed?

• F1 drivers get 13 dry, 4 intermediate, and 3 wet tyre sets per weekend
• At least two different dry compounds must be used in a dry race
• All unused tyres are returned to Pirelli after the event

F1 teams are allowed to use 13 sets of dry weather tires per car during a standard race weekend, along with four sets of intermediate tires and three sets of full wet tires. Teams receive 20 total sets of tires per car for each race weekend, though this number drops to 12 dry sets during Sprint race weekends. Italian manufacturer Pirelli serves as Formula 1’s exclusive tire supplier, providing all teams with identical tire allocations to maintain competitive balance.

The tire allocation breaks down into specific compound distributions that teams must work within throughout practice, qualifying, and race sessions. Teams get eight sets of soft compound tires, three sets of medium compound tires, and two sets of hard compound tires for regular race weekends. This carefully regulated system prevents teams from gaining unfair advantages through excessive tire usage while maintaining strategic elements around tire management.

How Many Tires Are F1 Teams Allowed Per Weekend?

Formula 1 teams receive different tire allocations depending on whether they compete in a standard Grand Prix weekend or a Sprint event weekend. Teams get 20 total tire sets for regular weekends and 19 sets for Sprint race weekends.

Standard Grand Prix Weekend Allocations

Each driver receives 13 sets of dry weather tires for a standard Grand Prix weekend. The allocation breaks down into specific compound distributions based on Pirelli’s selection for each circuit.

Teams typically get 8 soft compound sets, 3 medium compound sets, and 2 hard compound sets. Drivers who advance to Q3 qualifying receive one additional soft tire set to use during the final qualifying session.

Weather conditions require additional tire preparations. Each driver gets 4 sets of intermediate tires for damp track conditions and 3 sets of full wet tires for heavy rain scenarios.

Teams must return tire sets after each practice session. Two sets get returned after Free Practice 1 and Free Practice 2, leaving drivers with fewer options for qualifying and race day.

The regulations require drivers to use at least two different dry compound types during the race. This rule applies only when track conditions remain dry throughout the race distance.

Sprint Event Tire Allocations

Sprint race weekends reduce the dry tire allocation from 13 sets to 12 sets per driver. The compound distribution changes to accommodate the shortened weekend format with fewer practice sessions.

Drivers receive 6 soft compound sets, 4 medium compound sets, and 2 hard compound sets for Sprint weekends. This allocation reflects the reduced track time available for setup work and tire testing.

Wet weather tire allocations change for Sprint events. Teams get 5 intermediate tire sets and 2 full wet tire sets instead of the standard weekend allocation.

The compressed schedule of Sprint weekends means teams have less time to evaluate tire performance across different compounds. Strategic decisions become more challenging with reduced practice time and fewer tire sets available for testing setup changes.

Types of F1 Tires and Their Compounds

Formula 1 uses multiple tire types across different weather conditions, with Pirelli manufacturing six slick compounds (C1-C6) for dry conditions and two wet-weather options. Each compound offers different performance characteristics regarding grip levels and durability, with specific color coding to identify each type during races.

Slick Tires: Hard, Medium, and Soft Compounds

Slick tires feature no tread pattern and are used exclusively in dry racing conditions. Pirelli produces six different slick compounds ranging from C1 (hardest) to C6 (softest).

For each race weekend, Pirelli selects three compounds from their range. The softest compound receives red sidewall markings and is called the soft tire. The middle compound gets yellow markings as the medium tire. The hardest compound features white markings as the hard tire.

Soft tires provide maximum grip but degrade quickly. Teams typically use them for qualifying sessions and short race stints. Medium tires balance grip and longevity, making them popular for race starts and mid-stint strategies.

Hard tires offer the least grip but last the longest. Teams often switch to hard compounds during safety car periods to complete races without additional pit stops. The C6 compound, introduced for 2025, serves as an ultra-soft option for street circuits with low track temperatures.

Wet Tires: Intermediate and Full Wet Options

Two tire types handle wet conditions in Formula 1. Intermediate tires feature green sidewall markings and moderate tread depth. Full wet tires display blue markings with deeper treads for heavy rain.

Intermediate tires work on damp tracks or when conditions transition between wet and dry. They can disperse 30 liters of water per second at racing speeds. Teams can use intermediates on completely dry tracks, though they wear rapidly and provide less grip than slick compounds.

Full wet tires handle heavy rainfall and standing water. These tires evacuate 85 liters of water per second at 200mph. The deep tread pattern maximizes water clearance but creates excessive heat on dry surfaces.

Race directors must declare wet conditions before teams can use either wet tire type. Teams receive four sets of intermediate tires and three sets of full wet tires per car for each race weekend.

Pirelli Tire Markings and Color Codes

Pirelli uses distinct color-coded sidewall bands to identify tire compounds during race weekends. This system allows spectators and teams to instantly recognize which compound each driver uses.

Red bands mark the softest compound selected for that weekend. Yellow bands identify the medium compound. White bands designate the hardest compound choice.

Green bands appear on intermediate tires for damp conditions. Blue bands mark full wet tires for heavy rain. These colors remain consistent across all race weekends regardless of which specific compounds Pirelli selects.

Additional markings include compound numbers (C1-C6) printed on tire sidewalls. Teams also apply colored dots and markings to track tire age and usage during practice sessions.

How Tire Compounds Are Selected for Each Race

Pirelli analyzes multiple factors when selecting three compounds for each Grand Prix. Track surface characteristics play a primary role in compound selection. Smooth surfaces like Barcelona require harder compounds, while abrasive tracks like Silverstone need softer options.

Circuit layout influences compound choice significantly. High-speed tracks with long corners generate more tire stress, requiring harder compounds. Street circuits with tight corners and shorter straights favor softer compounds that provide better grip.

Weather patterns and expected track temperatures affect selection decisions. Hot conditions increase tire degradation, pushing Pirelli toward harder compounds. Cooler temperatures allow softer compounds to work effectively without overheating.

Pirelli typically brings the hardest three compounds (C1, C2, C3) to high-stress circuits like Monza or Spa. Street circuits like Monaco receive the softest three compounds (C4, C5, C6) due to lower speeds and track temperatures.

Rules and Regulations on Tire Usage

Formula 1 teams face strict regulations governing tire usage throughout race weekends. Drivers must use different compounds during dry races, return specific sets during practice sessions, and follow distinct rules depending on weather conditions.

Mandatory Use of Different Compounds

F1 drivers must use at least two different slick compounds during any race declared dry by officials. This rule applies to all three compound types available each weekend: hard tires (white sidewall), medium tires (yellow sidewall), and soft tires (red sidewall).

A driver starting on soft tires must pit at least once to switch to medium or hard compounds. The same requirement applies regardless of starting compound choice.

Example scenarios:

• Start on mediums → Must switch to hard or soft tires
• Start on hard tires → Must switch to medium or soft tires
• Start on soft tires → Must switch to medium or hard tires

Once a driver uses two different compounds, they satisfy this regulation. Additional pit stops can use any available compound without restriction.

Teams often use this rule strategically. Some start on soft tires for track position, then switch to harder compounds for longer stints.

Tire Return Procedures During the Weekend

Teams must return specific tire sets to Pirelli after each practice session. This reduces the available allocation for qualifying and race day.

Standard Grand Prix weekends:

• Start with 13 sets of slick tires per car
• Return 2 sets after each practice session (FP1, FP2, FP3)
• Leave 7 sets available for qualifying and race

Sprint weekends:

• Start with 12 sets of slick tires per car
• Different return schedule applies due to modified weekend format
• Sprint qualifying participants get additional soft tire set for SQ3

The tire return system forces teams to plan usage carefully. Teams cannot save all fresh tires for race day and must balance practice running with race preparation.

Tire Rules in Wet and Dry Conditions

Weather conditions significantly change tire regulations during F1 race weekends. Teams receive both intermediate tires and full wet tires for challenging conditions.

Wet weather allocation:

• 4 sets of intermediate tires (green sidewall) for standard weekends
• 3 sets of full wet tires (blue sidewall) for standard weekends
• 5 intermediate and 2 wet sets for Sprint weekends

Intermediate tires handle damp conditions without standing water. Full wet tires work during heavy rain with standing water present.

The mandatory compound rule disappears when officials declare a race “wet.” Teams can run the entire race on the same tire compound during wet conditions. However, tire wear may still force pit stops for fresh rubber.

Race officials determine wet or dry status based on track conditions. This decision affects strategy significantly, as teams gain compound flexibility during wet races.

Who are the former tyre manufacturers in Formula 1?

As mentioned, Pirelli is the sole tyre provider of Formula 1, and has been since 2011.

However, there are other manufacturers that have a long and old history with motorsport. In fact, there came a time when six suppliers raced the race tracks simultaneously in ONE SEASON!

Goodyear

Goodyear was a major force in Formula 1 for over three decades, supplying tyres to many of the sport’s most iconic teams and drivers. The American tyre manufacturer made its F1 debut in 1964 and remained a constant presence until its withdrawal after the 1998 season.

During that time, Goodyear achieved 494 race starts and 368 Grand Prix victories.

Goodyear’s exit from Formula 1 came at the end of the 1998 season, after which Bridgestone became the sole supplier. Although no longer part of the F1 grid, Goodyear remains active in other top-level motorsport series, including endurance racing and NASCAR, where it continues to build on a motorsport heritage that spans over 65 years.

Bridgestone

In Formula 1’s long history, Bridgestone also took part. The tyre supplier has 244 starts and 175 wins.

Bridgestone had supplied tires to Formula 1 since 1997, though the manufacturer provided one-off Formula 1 tires for Japanese entrants such as Kazuyoshi Hoshino’s Heros Racing and Kojima at the 1976 and 1977 Japanese Grand Prix.

Bridgestone was officially appointed as Formula One’s sole tyre supplier starting in 2008, but in practice, all teams had already been using Bridgestone tyres since 2007 following Michelin’s withdrawal from the sport at the end of the 2006 season.

Bridgestone confirmed on November 2, 2009, that its contract to supply tires to Formula One teams would not be renewed after 2010. The corporation stated that it was “addressing the impact of the business environment’s continued change.” In June 2010, Pirelli announced that it would be the exclusive tire supplier for the 2011 season.

Michelin

Michelin made its Formula One debut in 1977 when Renault began construction of their turbocharged F1 car. Michelin pioneered the use of radial tyres in Formula One, winning the Drivers’ Championship with Brabham and McLaren before retiring at the end of 1984.

In 2001, the manufacturer returned to Formula One, supplying teams such as Williams, Jaguar, Benetton (renamed Renault in 2002), Prost, and Minardi. Toyota entered Formula One in 2002 using Michelin tyres, and McLaren followed suit. Michelin tyres were uncompetitive at first, but by the 2005 season, they were completely dominant. This was partially due to new regulations requiring tyres to withstand the entire race distance (including qualifying), and partially due to the fact that just one major team (Ferrari) used Bridgestones, necessitating much of the development work. Michelin, on the other hand, had a lot more testing and race data thanks to the bigger number of teams that used their tyres.

Michelin’s history with Formula 1 has a stain owing to the 2005 season, where, because of safety concerns, Michelin did not allow the teams it supplied to race during the 2005 United States Grand Prix. This led to the souring of the company’s relationship with FIA, and more disagreements between the two followed.

Michelin declared in December 2005 that it would not prolong its engagement in Formula One beyond the 2006 season due to a tense relationship with the sport’s regulatory body.

Michelin has 215 starts and 102 wins.

Dunlop

Dunlop first raced in the 1950s and introduced the nylon fabric R5 racing tyre, replacing the R1 to R4 tyres that had cotton fabric. This replacement allegedly reduced almost 12 pounds in weight!

Except for a few teams adopting Goodyear from 1964 onwards, Dunlop was the sole tyre manufacturer for Formula One racing from the 1959 season onwards till the next six years.

Firestone

Firestone provided tyres for Formula 1 for around 21 years, starting with its debut in the 1950 season and ending in the 1975 season. The tyre manufacturer paled in comparison with its co-suppliers.

With the exception of Formula 5000 and Formula 1, Firestone announced its retirement from competitive motorsport in August 1974, citing growing expenses as the reason. However, by the end of the 1974 season, the supplier Firestone completely withdrew from Formula 1 and Formula 5000.

Firestone has 121 starts and 48 wins.

Englebert

Englebert debuted in Formula One at the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix, with French Simca-Gordini drivers Robert Manzon and Maurice Trintignant, and stayed in the game till the 1958 season.

Outside Formula One, Englebert faced controversy which eventually led to its disappearance from Formula 1. Driver Alfonso de Portago, his co-driver, and 9 viewers were slain when de Portago’s 4.0-litre Ferrari 335 S lost control after a blown tyre during the 1957 Mille Miglia. The Ferrari went over an embankment and into the air, colliding with onlookers. Italian prosecutors prosecuted Englebert, who had provided the Ferrari’s tyres, and Enzo Ferrari with manslaughter in an investigation that went until 1961 when both Ferrari and Englebert were cleared.

Englebert has 61 starts and 8 wins.

Avon

In the world of motorsport, Avon Tyres has a long and illustrious history. Over the years, the British company has established itself as a leader in rallying, hill climbing, and a variety of other disciplines. The period it remained in the top level of single-seater competition, Formula 1, however, is less recognized.

Avon tyre was first used in the 1950s and then again in the 1980s by a number of brilliant drivers, including World Champions Jack Brabham and Keke Rosberg, as well as Grand Prix winners Michele Alboreto and Jochen Mass.

Despite the fact that Avon products did not result in any podiums, victories, or titles, it is only fitting to commemorate the company’s time in Formula 1.

Avon has 29 starts and 0 wins.

Continental

Continental raced in the 1954 and 1955 seasons, took a break, then returned again in the 1958 season. It was the shortest run of a Formula 1 tyre manufacturer in history, with only 3 seasons under its wings.

Continental has 13 starts and 10 wins.

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