Ever wondered why grooved tyres were introduced to Formula 1? Or how they make a blind bit of difference? This article analyses how, why and when grooved tyres were introduced and looks at the possibilities for the future of formula 1 tyres.

In 1998 the grooved tyre was introduced to Formula 1. The reason for grooved tyres was to improve safety in formula 1 by reducing cornering speeds (how many times have we heard that). Improved safety has been the sole mission of Max Mosley for a long time now, I am sure everyone is aware of his continual changes to F1 in the name of safety.

The initial plan was to introduce grooved tyres in 1998 (which happened) to reduce cornering speeds. The FIA planned to introduce all-weather for 2001 to further improve safety, however this did not happen. When grooved tyres were introduced in 1998 a strange thing happened, lap times did not fall as much as expected. This was because of the reduction in rolling resistance and air resistance. 1998 spec tyres were of course grooved and produced less rolling resistance, 1998 chassis were made narrow to comply with the new regulations and produced less air resistance. This resulted in higher top speeds. The FIA were naturally a little upset about this so in 1999 they added an extra groove to the tyres.

So what is the difference between slicks and grooved tyres? Well the slick tyre produced far more mechanical grip (grip not made using downforce). Therefore, drivers had much more confidence in their cars and were able to go much faster through corners. Grooved tyres do not produce as much grip because of the reduced surface area. Therefore F1 cars were made harder to control making the driver less confident.

How did grooved tyres improve safety? Grooved tyres reduce overall grip so drivers are forced to go slower through corners, but they also produce less resistance therefore improving top speeds. So Formula 1 cars are going faster into corners but have to slow right down to get round the corner. If you ask me that sounds a little unsafe, I just have this image of cars flying straight past corners into barriers when I think about it. The idea though was to reduce cornering speeds so cars wouldn't crash quite as heavily if they lost it in a corner.

Has the grooved tyre improved Formula 1? Ultimately I think not. The grooved tyre was one of the big changes in F1 which caused designers to go down the aerodynamic route. Cars now depend heavily upon aerodynamic grip which is most to blame for the lack of overtaking in F1.

A return to Slicks? Max has now realised that continually changing and banning aerodynamic developments is not going to improve formula 1. A change back to slicks has been called for and it appears Max is a strong supporter. A return to slicks would mean more mechanical grip and a reduced dependency on aero grip, the perfect recipe for overtaking. There is a but, and that is that Max wants to reduce aero by 90% which I feel is a bit drastic and - well - stupid.

You can never tell with Formula 1 but the future is looking brighter than it has done in recent years. A return to slick tyres, and possibly 1 tyre manufacturer, would be brilliant and definitely improve formula 1. Scrapping the '1 tyre per race' rule would also be welcome but I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon.

Article (c) Mark Tyrrell - Tyrrell-Racing.com

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