Okay I've only been watching F1 with great intensity since the 2006 season so I ask this question. Did the slicks in the past have the option and prime tire options and if not do you see that as an option for 2009? It seems to me that you would want as a race team to have the option of a hard and soft tire at each track regardless if it was a slick or not.

With the tires wars over with it seems to be you have to have the same tire model....

If they do have the option and prime for 2009 how will they identify the tires? I was thinking maybe the side wall?

Can't believe no one has an answer to this... hmmmm

You mean was there a compulsive optional ?!
Back then they could chose whatever compound they wanted.

11110001 - 09 July 2008 01:40 AM

Can't believe no one has an answer to this... hmmmm

There was not a 'prime' and 'option' tire as we know them today when 'slick' tires were used; this is a recent development in use only since the inception of the current grooved tires and the single supplier Bridgestone.

Previously, a tean had choices in compounds, but had to decide on one to run the entire race on, excepting wet conditions, of course. Here is an article on this aspect:

27-06-2006 Tyres crucial at Indianapolis
http://www.f1technical.net/topics/6?sid=63ed65bf038cf777e5fa1f4304d43659

Google; it's a beautiful thing. Try it, you might like it.

wilmywood8455 - 09 July 2008 05:36 AM

Google; it's a beautiful thing. Try it, you might like it.

Now where would the topic/post counts be if everyone used Google? Hmmm?? Are you saying we should Google rather than ask Bill Cosby "Why is there air?"?

wilmywood8455 - 09 July 2008 05:36 AM

11110001 - 09 July 2008 01:40 AM

Can't believe no one has an answer to this... hmmmm

There was not a 'prime' and 'option' tire as we know them today when 'slick' tires were used; this is a recent development in use only since the inception of the current grooved tires and the single supplier Bridgestone.

Previously, a tean had choices in compounds, but had to decide on one to run the entire race on, excepting wet conditions, of course. Here is an article on this aspect:

27-06-2006 Tyres crucial at Indianapolis
http://www.f1technical.net/topics/6?sid=63ed65bf038cf777e5fa1f4304d43659

Google; it's a beautiful thing. Try it, you might like it.

Actually didn't we have at least 2 tire suppliers before "grooved" tires went into use and I don't think the compounds etc were public knowledge were they? Thanks for the link interesting that they had to run the entire race and qualifying on the same tires before 2006 that must have been awful.

The question of "prime" versus "option" slicks depends on how far back you want to go in history. In the "good old days" (the early 1970s) tyre companies were warring with each other. They came with several different types of tyres and a number of different compounds, ranging from several compounds of relatively hard race tyres (there were no pit stops back then) to "quallies." Those were super-gumball qualifying tyres that were literally good for about five laps. Two to warm up, one or two hot laps for qualifying and a couple more to get back to the pits.

That got expensive, so the FIA decreed that there would be only four sets of tyres per race weekend -- two sets of qualification tyres, a set for practice and one for the race. They were marked to identify each set by team and tyre.

Over the years, that evolved into the system we have today: The tyre company would come with two or three grades of tyre and each team used which ever set worked best. It's only recently that the FIA has mandated that cars must use both types in one race. I don't know if this came before or after the Open Wheel Racing (CART) series did it or not, but there you are.

Prior to the situation where Bridgestone was the only supplier of tires, Bridgestone and Michelin brought various compounds to each race. It is probable that they even brought different tires for different teams. (Think of Ferrari and Bridgestone) Tires were not regulated in the way that they are now. Prime and Option were never spoken of, because the concept was not even an issue. There were dry weather tires, intermediates and wets.

One thing that I wonder about though, is how does the FIA and Bridgestone intend to identify the prime and option tire in the era of slicks? Whitewalls?! Perhaps the tires could have a single groove for the white stripe? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Think about it, though. Whitewalls! Woo-hoo!

Oh god! I hope they don't run the red walls of the old CART rules!!! Shades of Derek Daly!

scrflgr - 09 July 2008 07:31 AM

we should ask Bill Cosby "Why is there air?"?

Cosby said it on the cover of that album:
"To blow up basketballs with."

(Or race tyres...)

11110001 - 06 July 2008 09:57 PM

If they do have the option and prime for 2009 how will they identify the tires? I was thinking maybe the side wall?

There was a discussion on this a few months ago.

http://www.speedtv.com/forums/viewthread/211501/

parmalat - 04 April 2008 01:58 PM

With the likely return of slick tires in 2009, Bridgestone has been considering how to mark the tires.

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080404110745.shtml

"It is clear that, for the benefit of the fans and the professionals, the compounds next year will be distinguished," she promised.

One option is the Champ Car-style red coloured side walls, and Ingham also confirmed that colouring the entire tyre is also "technically feasible."

Bridgestone is also thinking about having the 2 available compounds be 2 steps apart rather than one like this year.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/69144

However, with calls from both teams and observers suggesting that widening the variation would improve the racing, Bridgestone is now evaluating what to do.

Hirohide Hamashima, director of the company's motor sport tyre development, believes that one option would be to provide tyres that are two steps apart on the compound scale at each race, rather than the single-step difference currently in place.

"We are thinking about selecting two positions difference (in the compound selection)," said Hamashima about Bridgestone's compound plans for next year. "Of course compound position between slick and groove will be different, because the slicks will be softer than grooved tyres.

"But we will bring two types of compound for each event again. And because currently everyone complains that the difference between the two is too small, we are thinking about what shall we do."

The difficulty for Bridgestone in making the compound selection is in not making too much of a difference between the two tyres.

Doing that would result in one of the tyres being much better than the other at a certain track, meaning all teams would follow the same tyre strategy - ending the variation that occurs now.