🛞 Tyres

Car Knowledge · Last updated September 2026
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Pirelli's dry and wet compounds, and the rules that govern how they're used.

Dry compounds

Pirelli supplies six dry slick compounds, labelled C0 (hardest) to C5 (softest). Three are chosen for each grand prix and re-labelled hard, medium and soft for that weekend, so the colour coding is consistent even though the underlying compounds change.

Wet tyres

Two wet-weather tyres exist: the green intermediate for damp or drying tracks, and the blue full wet for heavy rain. Wet tyres have tread to disperse water, unlike the slick dry tyres.

The two-compound rule

In a dry race, drivers must use at least two different dry compounds. This forces at least one pit stop and creates strategic variety. In wet conditions the rule is waived.

Sources

Last updated: September 2026

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