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2007 tyre rules explained!


We have had plenty of questions in recent days about one of the hot topics for 2007, namely tyres. Here's a run-down of the tyre rules for 2007, and what they mean...

Tyres, tyres, tyres... I think that once we had seen the end of the tyre war, we had expected to stop talking about tyres. But clearly nobody told the F1 world, because it seems to be more of a hot topic than ever before!

So let's take a look at the basics.

There is a single tyre supplier for 2007 - Bridgestone. This is a different situation from that which will be in force in 2008 when a sole tyre supplier (also Bridgestone) will supply a control tyre to all teams. This tyre will be an identical tyre for all races.

For 2007, the regulations say that the tyre supplier must "make available identical quantities and specifications of tyres to all teams during a calendar year" (Article 73b of the Sporting Regs). This means that all the teams must have the same tyres available at all times.

Bridgestone have decided to tackle this in a very specific way, as they explained last week. They have developed four types of dry tyre, as their Head of Track Engineering Operations Kees Van de Grint explained after last week's test: "The current plan is to produce four specifications of dry weather tyre which will be known as: Hard, Medium, Soft and Super Soft. From these four specifications two will be chosen for use at each Grand Prix."

So every team will have the same two specifications of tyre available at each race - a choice that will be made from among those four types of tyre. For example, you can fairly safely predict that the selection for Monaco will be super soft and soft, while at Silverstone, a tough track for the tyres, we will probably see the hard and medium used - the same will probably be true somewhere like Sepang or Barcelona.

When the drivers get to the track, the rules will be as follows:

73 b) During the Event no driver may use more than fourteen sets of dry-weather tyres, four sets of wet weather tyres and three sets of extreme-weather tyres. However, no driver may use more than a total of four sets of dry-weather tyres during P1 and P2, no more than two sets being of one specification.

77 a) Each team will be allocated eight sets of dry-weather tyres, four of each specification, for use during P1 and P2. These are the only dry-weather tyres which may be used during these sessions and must be returned to the tyre supplier before the start of P3.

There is a subtlety worth noticing in here. It is not four sets of tyres per driver on Friday, it is eight per team. So if you use two race drivers, then they will probably be able to compare the harder and softer of the tyre compounds, and get one set each. if you use three drivers (as you are allowed to), then you have to divide those eight sets between the three drivers. And remember, those eight sets go back after P2.


77 b) Each driver will be allocated ten further sets of dry-weather tyres, five of each specification, for use during the remainder of the Event. However, one set of each specification must be returned to the tyre supplier before the start of the qualifying practice session and may not be used during the remainder of the Event.

Now we get to Saturday, and the allocations are now per driver - not per team. Each driver essentially has ten sets of tyres for these two days. You can use as many sets of tyres as you want to during P3, but one of each specification must be given back to Bridgestone at the end of the hour. So realistically, teams will use only two sets of tyres, because they won't have any old used tyres available.

After this the teams have eight sets of tyres available - four of each specification. Now remember, in 2006 a team like Renault used four sets of new tyres in qualifying - one in Q1, one in Q2, and two in Q3. Sometimes, you would use old tyres in Q1 - but in 2007, the 8 sets of tyres will probably all be new because you give back your two sets of tyres after P3. Now logically, you would use your soft tyres for qualifying because they give the best performance over a single lap - meaning you probably won't have any new soft tyres when you go into the race. Will that affect your strategy? It's too early to know, but it's interesting to try and work it out...!


77 d) Unless he has used wet or extreme-weather tyres during the race, each driver must use at least one set of each specification of dry-weather tyres during the race.

This is why we no longer make a tyre choice - because we have to use both types of tyre in the race! Both the harder and softer compound must be run on the car at some point. Will that bring strategical variation? Well, it's clear that the car that's kindest on its tyres will have an advantage, because it should be able to run the soft tyres, and enjoy their performance advantage, for longest...


So there's a summary of what the tyre rules mean for the race weekends in 2007.


Source: Renault F1 blog