For the 2011-2013 FIA F1 Championships the official Tyre supplier is Pirelli, a change from Bridgestone after 13 years.
Dry tire allocation for each driver for each race weekend has been reduced from 14 sets to 11 sets and 8 sets are available for qualifying and the race itself.
As in 2010, tyres for each race are split into Prime (harder) and Option (softer) grades. Drivers must use both types of tires in a Grand Prix.
Coverage regarding these tyres indicated that Pirelli was told to make the tyres with limited lifespan so that there would be degradation that would force multiple pit stops. That has certainly proven the case so far in 2011
Identifying Tyres
Last year the softer option tire had a green stripe on the tyre wall, this year the markings are different with the Pirelli name being written in different colours that appear as a band when the car is in motion
- Silver – Hard compound
- White – Medium Compound
- Yellow – Soft Compound
- Red – Super-soft compound
- Blue – Intermediate Wets
- Red – Full Wets
Tyre Penalties
A driver failing to use both tire types will be ‘excluded from the results’
A driver using only one tyre grade before a race is suspended will have 30 seconds added to their race time.
