Hey everyone, it’s your boy back at it again! Today, I got a real head-scratcher for ya – ever wonder how much weight those Formula 1 tires lose during a race? Well, I sure did, so I decided to do some digging and get to the bottom of it. It’s not something you think about every day, right?
First, I hit up the internet. I figured someone out there must have asked this question before. And what do you know? I stumbled upon some interesting tidbits. I read somewhere that a guy named Mario Isola, who’s apparently the head honcho of F1 over at Pirelli, mentioned in an interview that a tire loses about 1kg over a stint. Now, he didn’t say if that’s the front or the rear, but it’s a start, right?
Then, I found this other comment saying the tires can lose up to 3kg during a full stint. That’s a big difference! This comment also mentioned something about the weight of the car, which made me think – it’s not just about the rubber wearing off. There’s gotta be more to it. I even learned that the drivers themselves lose a couple of kilos during a race, mostly from sweating. Man, those races must be intense!
So, I kept digging. I discovered that F1 tires are not exactly lightweight to begin with. We’re talking about 9.5 to 11.5kg each, and they’re 18 inches in diameter. And get this – the rear tires are bigger than the front ones. Why? Because F1 cars are rear-wheel drive, so they need that extra grip in the back for acceleration. Makes sense, right?
Here’s where it gets even more interesting. I found out that there are rules about the combined weight of the car and the driver. Apparently, for 2022, it had to be 795kg in total, with the driver weighing in at 80kg. I can only imagine what happens if the car is underweight. Penalties, probably!
- Tires can lose 1kg to 3kg during a race.
- F1 drivers lose 2-3kg from sweating, especially in hot races.
- Tires weigh between 9.5-11.5kg.
- Rear tires are larger than front tires for better grip.
- The car and driver must meet a minimum weight requirement.
Here’s a quick rundown of what I found:
All in all, it was a fun little research project. I learned a bunch of stuff I never knew before about F1 tires. It’s crazy to think about all the little details that go into these races. Anyway, I hope you found this as interesting as I did. Let me know in the comments what you think, and I’ll catch you in the next one!
