Начиная с 2007 года, в Формуле-1 будет только один поставщик покрышек, поставляющий идентичные составы всем командам. Цель этого – обеспечить более плотную борьбу и сохранить затраты на тесты и развитие.
На каждом Гран-при командам будет представляться выбор из двух спецификаций покрышек для обычной погоды, и каждый пилот должен использовать оба типа во время гонки (исключая дождевые гонки).
В ходе уик-энда, у каждого пилота есть набор из 14 комплектов покрышек. Четыре комплекта (по два каждой спецификации) должны быть использованы в пятницу, 10 оставшихся доступны с субботы и до окончания этапа. До квалификации каждый пилот должен использовать обе спецификации покрышек.
На покрышках для сухого покрытия имеются четыре канавки, глубина которых подвержена строгим ограничениям. Несмотря на то, что сегодня нет четких указаний относительно износа покрышек в ходе гонки, ФИА оставляет за собой право вводить специальные процедуры, если есть подозрение о возможности получения дополнительного преимущества с использованием слишком изношенных колес.
Команды могут использовать дождевые покрышки в любой момент квалификации и гонки. Однако, в ходе предварительных сессий их использование на трассе разрешно только после объявления трассы сырой директором гонки. Bridgestone имеет право привезти различные типы резины для разных условий, но все они должны получить одобрение ФИА.
На все покрышки наносится код в начале уик-энда с тем, чтобы ФИА могла четко отслеживать их использование и предотвратить нарушение правил.
Выписки из Регламента ФИА
SUPPLY OF TYRES IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP AND TYRE LIMITATION DURING THE EVENT
73) Supply of tyres:
a) Any tyre company wishing to supply tyres to Formula One Teams must notify the FIA of its intention to do so no later than 1 January preceding the year during which such tyres will be supplied.
Any tyre company wishing to cease the supply of tyres to Formula One Teams must notify the FIA of its intention to do so no later than 1 January of the year preceding that in which such tyres were to be supplied.
b) No tyre may be used in the Championship unless the company supplying such tyre accepts and adheres to the following conditions:
— one tyre supplier present in the Championship: this company must equip 100% of the entered teams on ordinary commercial terms and make available identical quantities and specifications of tyres to all teams during a calendar year;
— two tyre suppliers present: each of them must, if called upon to do so, be prepared to equip up to 60% of the entered teams on ordinary commercial terms;
— three or more tyre suppliers present: each of them must, if called upon to do so, be prepared to equip up to 40% of the entered teams on ordinary commercial terms;
— each tyre supplier must undertake to provide no more than two specifications of dry-weather tyre at each Event, each of which must be of one homogenous compound. Any modification or treatment, other than heating, carried out to a tyre or tyres will be considered a change of specification;
— each tyre supplier must undertake to provide no more than one specification of wet-weather tyre at each Event which must be of one homogenous compound;
— each tyre supplier must undertake to provide no more than one specification of extreme-weather tyre at each Event which must be of one homogenous compound;
— if, in the interests of maintaining current levels of circuit safety, the FIA deems it necessary to reduce tyre grip, it shall introduce such rules as the tyre suppliers may advise or, in the absence of advice which achieves the FIA’s objectives, specify the maximum permissible contact areas for front and rear tyres.
74) Type of tyres:
a) All dry-weather tyres must incorporate circumferential grooves square to the wheel axis and around the entire circumference of the contact surface of each tyre.
b) Each front dry-weather tyre, when new, must incorporate 4 grooves which are:
— arranged symmetrically about the centre of the tyre tread;
— at least 14mm wide at the contact surface and which taper uniformly to a minimum of 10mm at the lower surface;
— at least 2.5mm deep across the whole lower surface;
— 50mm (+/- 1.0mm) between centres.
Furthermore, the tread width of the front tyres must not exceed 270mm.
c) Each rear dry-weather tyre, when new, must incorporate 4 grooves which are:
— arranged symmetrically about the centre of the tyre tread;
— at least 14mm wide at the contact surface and which taper uniformly to a minimum of 10mm at the lower surface;
— at least 2.5mm deep across the whole lower surface;
— 50mm (+/- 1.0mm) between centres.
The measurements referred to in b) and c) above will be taken when the tyre is fitted to a wheel and inflated to 1.4 bar.
d) A wet-weather tyre is one which has been designed for use on a wet or damp track.
All wet-weather tyres must, when new, have a contact area which does not exceed 280cm? when fitted to the front of the car and 440cm? when fitted to the rear. Contact areas will be measured over any square section of the tyre which is normal to and symmetrical about the tyre centre line and which measures 200mm x 200mm when fitted to the front of the car and 250mm x 250mm when fitted to the rear. For the purposes of establishing conformity, void areas which are less than 2.5mm in depth will be deemed to be contact areas.
Prior to use at an Event, each tyre manufacturer must provide the technical delegate with a full scale drawing of each type of wet-weather tyre intended for use.
e) An extreme-weather tyre is one which has been designed for use on a wet track.
All extreme-weather tyres must, when new, have a contact area which does not exceed 240cm? when fitted to the front of the car and 375cm? when fitted to the rear. Contact areas will be measured over any square section of the tyre which is normal to and symmetrical about the tyre centre line and which measures 200mm x 200mm when fitted to the front of the car and 250mm x 250mm when fitted to the rear. For the purposes of establishing conformity, void areas which are less than 5.0mm in depth will be deemed to be contact areas.
Prior to use at an Event, each tyre manufacturer must provide the technical delegate with a full scale drawing of each type of extreme-weather tyre intended for use.
f) Tyre specifications will be determined by the FIA no later than 1 September of the previous season. Once determined in this way, the specification of the tyres will not be changed during the Championship season without the agreement of the Formula One Commission.
75) Quantity of tyres
a) During the Event no driver may use more than fourteen sets of dry-weather tyres, four sets of wet-weather tyres and three sets of extreme-weather tyres. However, no driver may use more than a total of four sets of dry-weather tyres during P1 and P2, no more than two sets being of one specification.
A set of tyres will be deemed to comprise two front and two rear tyres all of which must be of the same specification.
76) Control of tyres:
a) The outer sidewall of all tyres which are to be used at an Event must be marked with a unique identification.
b) Other than in cases of force majeure (accepted as such by the stewards of the meeting), all tyres intended for use at an Event must be presented to the FIA technical delegate for allocation prior to the end of initial scrutineering.
c) At any time during an Event, and at his absolute discretion, the FIA technical delegate may select alternative dry-weather tyres to be used by any team or driver from among the relevant stock of tyres which such team’s designated supplier has present at the Event.
d) A competitor wishing to replace one unused tyre by another identical unused one must present both tyres to the FIA technical delegate.
e) The use of tyres without appropriate identification may result in deletion of the relevant driver’s qualifying time or exclusion from the race.
f) The only permitted type of tyre heating devices are blankets which use resistive heating elements.
77) Use of tyres
a) Each team will be allocated eight sets of dry-weather tyres, four of each specification, for use during P1 and P2. These are the only dry-weather tyres which may be used during these sessions and must be returned to the tyre supplier before the start of P3.
b) Each driver will be allocated ten further sets of dry-weather tyres, five of each specification, for use during the remainder of the Event. However, one set of each specification must be returned to the tyre supplier before the start of the qualifying practice session and may not be used during the remainder of the Event.
c) Prior to the start of the qualifying practice session wet and extreme-weather tyres may only be used after the track has been declared wet by the race director, following which extreme, wet or dry-weather tyres may be used for the remainder of the session.
d) Unless he has used wet or extreme-weather tyres during the race, each driver must use at least one set of each specification of dry-weather tyres during the race.
78) Wear of tyres:
The Championship will be contested on grooved tyres. The FIA reserve the right to introduce at any time a method of measuring remaining groove depth if performance appears to be enhanced by high wear or by the use of tyres which are worn so that the grooves are no longer visible.