The 2024 Formula 1 season is more balanced than ever, with four teams competing for victory every weekend, where qualifying is decided by hundredths of a second. In such a context, every detail makes a difference, as evidenced by the statements of drivers and engineers, where expressions like “tire peak” or “operating window” frequently recur. In an exclusive interview with the Italian website FormulaPassion, Mario Isola, head of Pirelli motorsport, explains the science of tires and how their proper use can be decisive.
Hitting the peak
The competitiveness of a race car is closely tied to two aspects: power and grip. The latter, in particular, depends on two other parameters, which are downforce, or aerodynamic load, and tire grip, the traction it can provide on the asphalt. However, grip is not constant but varies depending on several factors, including surface and carcass temperatures. Hence, the almost obsessive focus of teams on keeping the tires within the temperature range corresponding to maximum grip.
“The more the group tightens, the more important it becomes to exploit the tire at its performance peak,” explains Mario Isola. “The tire grip chart is a sort of bell curve with a peak, and the closer you can work to it, the better you exploit the tire. By convention, we define an operational temperature range that corresponds to the peak grip minus 3%, but this is really just a convention. When five cars are within 0.2 seconds in qualifying, 3% is too much. You have to stay within 1% at most.”
With the 2022 product, Pirelli worked to broaden the operating window of the tires to avoid excessive variability in performance and to emphasize driving skills over tire management. Despite the progress, however, the current product inevitably retains some dependence on temperature for grip. “It’s a flatter bell curve,” Isola refers to the grip chart. “We work to flatten it more and more, but it will always remain a bell curve. It’s difficult to have a grip curve that, once a certain temperature is reached, is completely flat and then degrades. There will always be some curvature, and you have to hit the peak to get maximum performance, which is not easy to find.”
Balancing the axes
If hitting the tire’s performance peak is difficult, it’s even harder to achieve it on both the front and rear axles. Mario Isola continues: “Balancing the two axes, meaning having both the front and rear at peak grip, is crucial and the hardest thing for a team. Another challenge is maintaining this situation for a more or less long stint. These are technical complications. You can bring an upgrade that guarantees more performance, but you still need to stay within these ranges.”
Mario Isola’s reference is to Frederic Vasseur‘s statement that tires are more important than upgrades. The importance given to tires is reflected in the level of mastery teams have developed in using them: “Teams are very good at this. Over the years, they’ve learned to use tires quite well. The fact that the product hasn’t changed since last season probably helped them better understand the tires. When we make a significant product change, we always see a learning period in the first races for the teams. This year, with no changes, they were immediately good at using them.”
Careful driving
Proper tire use also depends on a driving style that suits the needs of the current cars. Anticipating chronic understeer prevents premature overheating of the front tires, which would compromise balance with the rear axle. “These cars are very different from what we were used to,” continues the Pirelli motorsport manager. “The system for generating aerodynamic load is different; you have much more load at high speeds, even on straights where it’s not actually needed.”
“This definitely impacts the way the car is driven. From the feedback we gather, these cars tend to understeer. From 2022 to 2023, we made changes to reduce the tendency to understeer. Thanks to the teams’ countermeasures, the cars are now a bit more balanced, but still inclined to understeer.” – the Italian pointed out.
Don’t call it Formula Tire
The centrality of tires in teams’ and drivers’ analyses tends to draw public criticism, but Mario Isola disagrees: “It’s not a Formula Tire. The same argument could be made for aerodynamics or power units. Formula 1 has reached incredibly high levels of complexity and attention to detail. Moreover, if someone nails an aerodynamic update, they still secure an advantage, proving it’s not all about tires. Simply put, every detail matters.” – the head of Pirelli motorsport explained.
The intense focus on tires should not be seen as a flaw in Pirelli’s product but as a natural consequence of a hyper-competitive Formula 1, where every aspect becomes decisive. Mario Isola concludes: “The common perception is that in a single-supplier scenario, the tires are the same for everyone, which is true, but they don’t work the same way for everyone. You have to make them work well, like every other detail of the car, from the aerodynamics package to the brakes. Today, you have to use everything at 110%. To stay ahead, this is also necessary, and it’s something that depends on the team’s skill. It’s not a Tire Formula, but a Formula 1 where the product is the same for everyone, and then you have to be good at using it.”
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