The tyres used by F1 cars play a key role in the performances of the teams and directly affect the result of every race – what happens to them after a race?
F1 Tyres are expensive items but they are not meant for longevity. The tyres are built primarily for efficiency and as a result, they wear out very fast. F1 Tyres last an average of 60 to 120 kilometers depending on the strategy of the team and the driver’s style of racing. Every team generally uses three different sets of Tyres during the race, taking into account the pit stops that drivers usually make.
After a Grand Prix is over, F1’s Tyre manufacturer Pirelli collects all the used Tyres and rips them apart. The Tyres are then compressed and transported to Pirelli’s engineering and logistics center in Didcot, England and they are thoroughly studied with the purpose of collecting valuable data for future reference.
They are then shredded, and some parts are sent for recycling while the pellets are burned in the factory. The whole process is environment-friendly, and the burning process gives some by-products that can be put to good use.
F1 tyres are very expensive pieces of equipment
F1 teams are very particular about their tyres and each team uses customised tyres which suit their requirements. The tyres used in F1 cars are completely different to normal car tyres and bear only a superficial similarity. F1 teams choose tyres based on the weather conditions like wet tyres when it’s raining or if the race is taking place on a wet track. The other two variants of tyres that F1 teams use are the hard tyres and the soft tyres.
Due to their immense importance, F1 tyres are designed and manufactured by experts and limited specialist companies like Pirelli. They are quite costly and a single set of F1 tyres costs about US $2700.
It is estimated that each team spends about $35,100 worth of tyres in each Grand Prix. There are 23-24 races that take place in a regular F1 season. This implies that the cost of tyres for an F1 vehicle is a staggering US$ 807,300 per driver in a season. With two cars per team, the cost of F1 tyres accumulates to around $1,614,600 for every team in a season.
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