Tyre rules

Every driver gets a fixed number of tyre sets for the weekend and has to make them last through practice, qualifying and the race. On top of that, in a dry race each driver has to use at least two different dry compounds, which is why nearly every race includes at least one pit stop.

#How many sets each driver gets

A set is four tyres of the same compound. At a normal race weekend each driver gets:

That's 13 sets of slicks. At a sprint weekend there's only one practice session, so the slick allocation drops to 12 sets: 2 hard, 4 medium and 6 soft.

The FIA can change these numbers for a particular event if Pirelli agrees, and at a few races each season teams get extra sets of experimental tyres to run in Friday practice so Pirelli can test new designs.

#Handing tyres back

Teams can't keep all their sets until Sunday. At a normal weekend each driver has to return two used sets after each practice session, which leaves seven sets of slicks for qualifying and the race. Some sets are also protected so they can't be used up early. Each driver must keep:

• one set of softs that can only be used in Q3, and
• two sets of the compounds nominated for the race, which can't be handed back before Sunday.

This is why you'll see some cars do very short runs in practice. Teams are planning around a limited supply.

#The two-compound rule

In a dry race, every driver must use at least two different dry compounds. Before each weekend the FIA can also name up to two mandatory race compounds, and at least one of the compounds a driver uses must be one of them. The rule doesn't say when the stop has to happen or how long each stint must be. A driver can run 50 laps on one set and 2 laps on another. If a driver finishes the race without meeting the rule, they're disqualified. The only exception is when a race is stopped by a red flag and never restarted: then 30 seconds is added to their time instead.

If a driver uses intermediate or wet tyres at any point in the race, the rule no longer applies to them. That's why a wet race can be won without ever fitting a slick.

Monaco had a special rule in 2025 forcing every driver to make at least two pit stops. It didn't improve the racing much, and it was removed for 2026.

#Qualifying tyres

At a normal weekend, drivers are free to choose any dry compound in Q1 and Q2. In Q3 they have to use the soft, if it's dry.

Sprint qualifying is stricter. In SQ1 and SQ2 drivers may only use a new set of mediums, and in SQ3 they must use softs. See sprint qualifying for how that session works.

#Starting tyres

Drivers can start the race on any compound they like. Until 2021 the top 10 had to start on the tyres they used to set their best time in Q2, which often forced them onto worn softs. That rule was scrapped from 2022.

Once a car leaves the pit lane on a set of tyres, those tyres count as used. Tyres fitted on the grid count as used once the car pulls away from its grid slot.

#Mixing tyres

All four tyres on the car must normally be the same compound. If a driver ends up on a mixed set, perhaps after a mistake in the pits, they must come back in and change within two laps or get a stop-and-go penalty. Mixed sets also don't count towards the two-compound rule.

#Other tyre rules worth knowing

• Pirelli sets a minimum tyre pressure and limits on wheel camber for each race, and the FIA checks them. Running lower pressures would give more grip but risk a failure.
• Tyres must stay with the car they were allocated to. If a reserve driver steps in, they use the original driver's tyres.
• During a race, tyre blankets aren't allowed in the pit lane. More on that in tyre temperature and blankets.
• If a race starts behind the safety car because of heavy rain, full wet tyres are compulsory until the safety car comes in.