Source: REUTERS/Issei Kato
[Saba Sports News] The 2024 F1 Japanese Grand
Prix concluded recently, featuring three tire solutions: C1, C2, and C3. Among
them, C1 represents the hard tire, C2 the medium tire, and C3 the soft tire.
Formula 1 (F1) tires are typically categorized into two types: rain tires and
dry tires. Rain tires have tread patterns for drainage, while dry tires, also
known as slick tires, have no tread patterns. Rain tires are further divided
into wet tires and full rain tires, designed for different track water
conditions. Dry tires have five different compounds, labeled from C1 to C5. The
higher the number, the softer the tire, providing better grip but with a lower
required operating temperature and faster wear rate. Long-distance computer
calculations suggest that, under ideal conditions without errors, the
difference in lap times between medium and soft tires is approximately 0.52
seconds, while the gap between hard and soft tires per lap is around 0.92
seconds. In F1 competitions, hard tires cannot match the speed of soft tires
due to their inferior grip. Soft tires have a higher grip limit, allowing them
to withstand greater centrifugal forces and maintain better speed on curved
roads. However, the enhanced grip of soft tires also comes with the drawback of
reduced wear resistance. On the other hand, harder tires last longer due to
their increased durability. Effectively utilizing soft and hard tires in
response to unexpected situations on the track becomes crucial for achieving
success in F1 races.