Slick tyres are one of Formula One’s biggest performance secrets. These smooth, treadless tyres maximise contact with the track for unrivalled grip, handling, and speed. In this guide, we’ll explain how slick tyres work, why they’re used in F1, and why they’re not suited to everyday driving.
One of the hallmarks of any tyre is the tread around its surface. It contributes towards the vehicle’s traction and grip on the road, and impacts steering, braking and handling.
The depth of the tyre tread and its pattern varies from one vehicle to the next, with a more rugged design around the outside of an off-road vehicle in winter and much smoother tyres for driving on the roads in summer.
F1 tyres, however, are a little different. They fall into a category of their own, known as slick tyres.
Here’s all you need to know about slick tyres and their uses.
What is a Slick Tyre?
A slick tyre is a completely smooth tyre, used commonly in Formula One racing.
Contrary to standard tyres, these tyres do not have any form of tread and are instead smooth around the entire surface. They were first introduced to Formula One racing in the 1960s, as a safer and more efficient alternative to standard tyres. Over time and ever since their first release, they have undergone different redesigns and changes to their construction and compound design.
The slick tyres used now boast the very best in performance, lap times, and driver handling.
Benefits of Slick Tyres
The number one benefit of slick tyres is the increase in surface area that makes contact with the road surface while driving.
By optimising the road contact, slick tyres boast better grip and enhanced performance, especially when handling sharp twists and turns at speed.
Of course, achieving the best performance on slick tyres depends on driver precision, ensuring that stability and handling does not come at the detriment of a consistent level of wear across the tyre.
How Long Do Slick Tyres Last?
There are different types of slick tyre available – ranging from soft tyres right up to harder tyres.
The softer the tyre, the quicker they burn through, especially given the speed that F1 drivers race at. A soft tyre will likely only last half a formal F1 race, while harder tyres last much longer.
This is why you will often see F1 drivers swapping their tyres over during a pitstop part-way through a race, with new tyres guaranteeing their safety and precision when handling turns on the track.
