The idea in one sentence
A soft tyre is faster but lasts less. A hard tyre is slower but survives more laps. All race strategy comes from that difference.
On a road car, a tyre lasts for years. On an F1 car it can last less than an hour. This is not a defect. The sport wants it that way, to force teams to make decisions and to bring pit stops and position changes.
All the teams use the same supplier, Pirelli, so nobody has a better tyre than anyone else. The difference lies in how each car and each driver looks after them.
What each colour means
The colour on the side of the tyre lets you tell them apart on TV:
- Soft, red
- The fastest. It has a lot of grip but wears out quickly. It is the typical qualifying tyre.
- Medium, yellow
- The middle ground between speed and durability. It is used a lot in races.
- Hard, white
- The slowest and the longest lasting. It allows long runs.
- Intermediate, green
- For a damp track or light rain. It has a tread pattern to clear the water.
- Wet, blue
- For a lot of water on the track. It is the least used, because with that much rain the race is often stopped.
Dry tyres have no tread pattern. They are smooth so that more of the surface sits on the tarmac. That is why they are called slicks.
C1, C2, C3: the detail that confuses people
For 2026, Pirelli has five dry compounds, or rubber mixes, numbered from C1, the hardest, to C5, the softest. The C6, used in 2025, was dropped.
Only three of those five are chosen for each race. The softest of the three is called the soft, the middle one the medium and the hardest the hard. That is why the soft tyre at one race can be harder than the soft at another.
| Example | Hard, white | Medium, yellow | Soft, red |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia 2026 | C3 | C4 | C5 |
| Japan 2026 | C1 | C2 | C3 |
| Monaco 2026 | C3 | C4 | C5 |
The choice depends on the circuit. A fast, demanding track such as Suzuka needs hard tyres. A slow, gentle one such as Monaco can use the softest.
How many tyres each driver has
Tyres are not unlimited. Each driver gets a fixed number of sets per weekend, and a set is four tyres:
| Type | Normal format | Sprint format |
|---|---|---|
| Soft | 8 | 6 |
| Medium | 3 | 4 |
| Hard | 2 | 2 |
| Intermediate | 5 | 6 |
| Wet | 2 | 2 |
Sets have to be handed back over the weekend, and some are kept aside by the rules. One set of softs is saved for Q3, and two sets of the mandatory types must last through to the race. That is why you see teams treating every set as if it were gold.
The most important rule: two types in the dry
In a dry race, each driver must use at least two different types of tyre. Swapping soft for soft is not enough. A driver who does not comply is disqualified.
This forces a pit stop at least once. One important detail: the rule does not apply if the driver used intermediate or wet tyres in that race. That is why, in a wet race, changing is not always required.
If the race is suspended and cannot be restarted, there is no disqualification. Instead, 30 seconds are added to the time of anyone who had not yet met the rule.
This obligation does not exist in the sprint. As it is only about 100 km, almost nobody stops.
Why tyres wear and lose speed
As the laps go by the tyre loses grip and the car gets slower. This is called degradation, and it is what engineers watch most closely in a race.
- Wear
- The tyre loses material, like a pencil getting shorter. It is the normal loss from friction.
- Temperature
- A tyre only works well within a certain range. If it is too cold it has no grip. If it is too hot it breaks down faster.
- Graining
- Small balls of rubber form on the surface. It happens above all when the tyre slides on a cold track.
- Blistering
- Too much heat makes bubbles form inside the rubber, which later come away.
- Flat spot
- When the driver locks a wheel under braking, a flat patch is left on the tyre and the car starts to vibrate.
You will often hear drivers being told on the radio to look after their tyres. It means braking and accelerating more gently, even if that costs a few tenths of a second per lap. Making them last longer can save a stop, and a stop costs much more.
How to follow the tyres during a race
The broadcast usually shows a letter and a colour next to each driver: S for soft, M for medium and H for hard, along with the number of laps on that tyre. Each stretch between stops is called a stint.
With that information you can already read the race. If a driver on old hards has another on new mediums behind them, you know the one behind will probably close in. And if someone is losing a second a lap, it is a sign that their tyres are finished.
Before going on track, tyres are kept wrapped in heated blankets to bring them to the right temperature. That is why you see mechanics take them out only at the last moment.
Rain: the hardest change
When it starts to rain, every team faces the same question: stop now or wait? A smooth tyre does not clear water. On a wet track it has no grip, and staying out can end in a spin.
But stopping too early is also bad. An intermediate on a dry track breaks down in a few laps. The exact moment when one tyre becomes better than the other is what decides many wet races. Teams work it out by comparing the lap times of those who have already changed.
If the race starts behind the safety car because of rain, wet tyres are mandatory until the safety car comes in.
What changed in 2026
The new cars brought narrower tyres. The fronts are 25 mm narrower and the rears 30 mm, and the wheels are still 18 inches. The cars are lighter and smaller, so they needed tyres to match.
How the choice is made
Before the race, each team works out how many laps each tyre will last and how much time is lost in the pits. With that it builds a strategy, for example starting on mediums and then moving to hards. Two different strategies can end up almost equal at the finish.
During the race, that plan changes all the time. A safety car, a little rain or tyres that last less than expected can turn everything around. The choice goes hand in hand with pit stops, which we explain in the article on the pits.
Everyone is free to choose which tyres to start on. That is why, on the grid, teams often wait until the last moment to show which tyre they will use.
Frequently asked questions
How long do tyres last?
It depends on the circuit, the car and the type. A soft in qualifying gives its best lap right away. In a race, a hard can last half the distance or more.
Why do drivers weave behind the safety car?
To keep the tyres warm. If they cool down, they lose grip just as the race restarts.
What happens if a tyre bursts?
The driver tries to reach the pits with the damaged car. Depending on where it happens, they can lose many positions or have to retire.