Tyre Pressures – Why F1 teams go low when Pirelli go high

Summary by Krater

An explanation of how gas pressure works inside F1 car tyres, why teams try to run lower tyre pressures, and why Pirelli sets mandatory minimum pressures.

From the video

Answers: Why do F1 teams push tyre pressures to the limit and why does Pirelli regulate them?

• Formula 1 tyre pressure
• Gas pressure physics
• Tyre contact patch and hysteresis
• Pirelli tyre regulations

What it concludes

• Lower tyre pressure gives tyres more flexibility to hug the track and spreads energy loads over a larger area of rubber.
• Excessive tyre stretching from low pressure heats up the rubber through hysteresis, which can superheat gases or weaken tyre construction and cause structural failure.
• Pirelli sets mandatory minimum tyre pressures based on track characteristics and energy loads to prevent tyre failures during high-speed cornering.