How Much Do F1 Tyres Cost?

No, Formula 1 teams do not pay the full cost of their tyres. Instead, they pay a standard flat fee as part of a season-long supply agreement with Pirelli, the sport’s exclusive tyre supplier.

This fee covers logistics, support services, and tyre provision for every race weekend. However, the overall cost of tyre development, manufacturing, and distribution is heavily offset by Pirelli’s commercial arrangement with Formula 1.

In return for global exposure, Pirelli pays a significant rights fee to Formula One Management, allowing them to act as the sole supplier.

This structure ensures all teams receive equal access to tyres, while centralising costs and maintaining a consistent competitive platform across the grid.

Formula One only uses Pirelli tyres for all their races and has been doing so since 2010. This contract is due to continue until at least 2027, with an option to extend it to cover 2028.

Pirelli has secured an exclusivity agreement with Formula One. It means they will be the sole supplier of Formula One tyres until the contract ends. This rule is strictly observed and followed due to an agreement that benefits both F1 and Pirelli.

In the past, Formula One has had many different tire manufacturers supplying tyres for F1 cars, but today they only allow Pirelli to supply the tyres.

The primary reason why Formula One teams only use Pirelli tires is that Pirelli has secured an agreement with Formula 1 to become the exclusive tire supplier for Formula One. This contract agreement began in 2011 and has been extended until the 2027 Formula One season.

This has proved that the two companies have a long-term commitment and dedication to each other, and because of this, Pirelli tyres in F1 races won’t be going anywhere soon.
 
Pirelli had previously been a tyre manufacturer for Formula One races on three different occasions before returning in 2011.

Pirelli was one of the first tire manufacturers to sponsor Formula One in 1950, and it remained with the sport until 1958.

However, in the 1981 season, Pirelli returned to providing F1 tyres for the Fittipaldi, Toleman, and Arrows teams. They left the sport again in 1987, but they returned just two years later for a three-year tyre manufacturing stint in Formula One.

They returned to Formula One in 2011 to become the exclusive tire provider for all Formula One teams for the first time.

To better understand why Pirelli become the exclusive manufacturer is because they are willing to produce faster-degrading tires than other manufacturers. Formula One wanted to increase the amount of tire wear so that their races would become more exciting for their audience.