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EXPLAINED: How do F1 ACADEMY tyres work?
Getting up close and personal with the racetrack, tyres play a crucial role in every driver’s performance — whether it’s pushing them to the maximum on a flying lap or managing degradation across a race.
Well-versed in their ins-and-outs of the Pirelli rubber, Maya Weug talks us through everything you need to know about the 13-inch tyres.
WHAT TYRES ARE USED IN F1 ACADEMY?
Rather than the eight compounds available in Formula 1, only two different tyre compounds available on an F1 ACADEMY weekend. The yellow-marked tyres are the slick rubber, whilst the blue-walled tyres are the wet-weather compound.
“In F1 ACADEMY, we have two different compounds — the wet tyres and the slick tyres,” the Ferrari driver begins. “They’re quite easy to distinguish. The rain tyres have these grooves to take out the water when we are driving when the track is wet or it has been raining. It gives us much more grip because the contact patch is bigger.
“Then we have the slick tyres. Unlike F1, we only have one slick compound in slick. These are used as it’s not shiny, so they have been used today.”
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TYRES?
With the F1 ACADEMY cars being rear-wheel drive, it’s important that the rear tyres benefit from the most grip to allow the drivers to get on the power without spinning out. As a result, whilst all the tyres have a 13-inch diameter, the tread (or width) of the rear tyres is bigger, giving them more grip through a larger contact patch with the track.
“The main difference between the two is we cannot drive with the rain tyres when it’s dry because we would destroy them in half a lap. Slick tyres usually have a shorter life than wet tyres because the peak of the tyre is very short. We're going much faster, so we have to set the time in the first two laps of the run and then afterwards, they get quite a lot slower.
“The front tyres are quite a bit thinner than the rear tyres, it’s because all the power comes from the rear. The engine is in the back, so the torque is coming from the rear — that’s why we need the grip to be much bigger.
“The tyres are fitted in the middle. The mechanic comes with the wheel gun and puts the bolt on, and then they will come with a big tool and tighten it, so it’s properly fitted.”
HOW DO TYRE PRESSURES IMPACT PERFORMANCE?
Lower tyre pressures make the tyres more flexible, which allows for more rubber to come into contact with the surface of the racetrack. Although this boosts grip, it’s a balancing act for the drivers and teams as it increases tyre wear.
“The tyre pressure is something very important for us. It’s changing a lot the performance, the balance of the car, understeer and oversteer just by the pressure.
“On the track like here in Qatar where it’s hotter, usually you go with lower pressures because with track temperature and air temp being hotter, it makes the tyres come up to temperature too quick. That’s why the hotter it gets, the lower we usually go with the pressures.”
WHY DO TYRES HAVE TO BE WARMED UP?
Driving on cold tyres can be a very slippy experience, so it’s crucial that drivers keep their tyres warm during a session.
During formation laps or when behind a Safety Car, you might spot cars zigzagging left and right across the track at slow speeds. By weaving, the extra movement helps warm up the surface of the tyres, whilst braking injects more heat into the inner area of the tyre.
“In racing, we have to warm up our tyres before we start pushing to make sure we get them up to temperature without damaging the surface of the tyres. We do a bit of weaving where we move from side to side, so that we can warm up the tyres.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: How does an F1 ACADEMY steering wheel work?
“Also, using the brakes can warm up the tyres as well because the brakes will warm up the brake discs, which will warm up the rim and then it will warm up the tyres. It’s very important to not push too soon, otherwise you will damage your tyres, and you will not get a fast lap in. “
WHAT IS TYRE DEGRADATION?
Tyre performance is impacted by two factors — tyre degradation and tyre wear. The impact temperatures have on the tyres, such as overheating or underheating, is called tyre degradation (sometimes shortened to deg).
Meanwhile, tyre wear concerns how much the tyre surface deteriorates after contact with the track as some circuits have a smoother surface than others, such as permanent tracks compared to street circuits.
“Tyre degradation is something you hear a lot, you will hear it a lot here in Qatar with the heat. Basically, degradation means when you feel the tyres getting worse and worse, and either you get more and more understeer or that you start losing the rear every time you go on power, losing traction and having more wheelspin or getting more snaps.
“That’s something that we as a driver can impact quite a lot on with how we are driving — being more smooth, gentler or changing our driving style.”