Hi Luci! I just wanted to ask if you can explain how the car influences tire warming a little? I’m kind of confused how the set up affects the cars ability to warm them up properly
Okay so there are a lot of factors that affect tyre warming. For the purposes of this post we are going to ignore environmental factors as that is a whole other thing.
There are three main things that impact tyre warming and prep for a lap: the base car, the track specific car setup, the driver's driving on the prep lap
The Base Car
There are two main components about the base of a car that will impact the tyres the most. The downforce and aero load, and the suspension.
Higher downforce will lead to lower tyre temps, as the tyres are being pressed more evenly against the track, leading to more even wear. This was something we have been seeing in the SF-24. Lower downforce conversely will allow for greater top speeds, and leads to less consistent grip, but will allow for tyres to warm more quickly.
Components that affect this are the entire aerodynamic body of the car, but the rear wing, and side pods are especially relevant.
Another element of the base that affects the tyres greatly is the suspension. This is directly connected to the way the tyres behave. And F1 cars use either a push-rod or pull-rod suspension framework. The suspension really impacts the support of the tyres as well as how they move relative to the body of the car.
The Car Setup
There are a lot more elements to track specific setups that can affect the way tyres warm.
Camber: The angle that the tyres are set at for the track. This impacts where the tyres come into contact on the track. This is a big one as it impacts the contact patch of the tyres on the track. This is something that requires the teams to really get this setting right for a specific track, especially in concert with the other elements of the car.
Track specific aero elements: Teams can bring track specific rear and front wings to adjust aero loads. And these will impact the levels of downforce, and thus the tyre warming.
Ride height: this is a big one, as it will impact how close to the ground the car is running, which plays into downforce and top speed capabilities, all of which will play a role in warming or cooling the tyres.
Suspension stiffness: another big one, different tracks require a stiffer setting or more flexibility. This has a direct impact on the tyres as well.
