How is the type of rubber selected?
A hard or softer type of rubber is selected on the basis of the driver’s style, the design of the car, the atmospheric temperature and the lay-out of the circuit. In general, the slower the circuit and the cooler the temperature, the softer the rubber, allowing greater grip. On the other hand, high speeds, together with a highly abrasive track wear the tyres down more quickly. The team and the driver must therefore strike a balance between various options, i.e. whether to mount harder tyres which may grip less well but permit fewer pit-stops, or whether to use softer tyres which will have to be changed several times during the race. A judicious choice sometimes enables one of the slower cars to win a Grand Prix. Tyre changes have become a part of the Formula One racing, and the better trained teams usually manage to change all four tyres and refuel in the space of 5 to 10 seconds, depending on the quantity of fuel they want to put in the tank. 41.
