F1 ‘Red Tyres’ Unlikely

Despite Bridgestone’s support of the idea, it appears that red tyres are unlikely to be a part of the 2007 Formula One season. It now seems all but inevitable that the different rubber compounds required by Article 77c of the FIA Sporting Regulations will hit the racetrack without any accompanying visual identifier.

Article 77c, published last October, states: “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.”

It had been suggested that F1 should adopt a system similar to that used in Champ Car racing, where the sidewalls of soft option tyres are painted red to identify the type of rubber in use.

Bridgestone has told the media there are no plans for the tyres to be painted red, therefore teams will be able to keep rivals and spectators guessing about exactly which compound they are using. The company has received no official request to supply tyres with red sidewalls.