Pirelli reveal how wider 2017 tyres will look

2017 F1 season

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Side-by-side: Compare the new 2017 design
Pirelli has revealed a mock-up showing how next year’s wider tyres will look on an F1 chassis.

Next year tyre widths will increase by 25%. The front tyres will increase from 245mm to 305mm and rears will increase from 325mm to 405mm.

Formula One’s official tyre supplier has already begun testing new compounds for the 2017 season. However it will not begin track testing of wider tyres until the new year.

The Pirelli demonstration car does not include 2017 bodywork dimensions.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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40 comments on “Pirelli reveal how wider 2017 tyres will look”

  1. That looks amazing!

  2. Wow, looks really cool! This new 2017 formula could really bring back ‘wow’ effect to F1. Though the drawback will be lack of overtaking, but maybe it’s worth it.

    1. Lack overtaking? Why? How do you know? Not buying that.

      1. Michael Brown (@)
        28th May 2016, 13:22

        Because they create more turbulent air for the car behind. However, this also enhances the slipstream effect.

    2. The increased mechanical grip will promote overtaking, not decrease it. It’s the reliance on aero grip that has “killed” overtaking.

  3. Harkens back to the old days. Nice!

  4. Big wide tyres = more mechanical grip. Hope the cars are this simple. The racing would probably be better.

  5. They look amazing! Brilliant to see them coming back.

  6. David Stummer
    28th May 2016, 10:55

    WOWOWOWOWOWOW

  7. Love them. F1 tyres have the opposite beauty scale to ladies legs, fat and wide is good.

  8. Oh mama…

  9. Looks like a v10 sounds…

    1. Lol, yes, this makes a mockery of f1 fans. Strange to see a tyre that’s as wide as is tall, the tyres of 70’s weren’t this fugly. I’m all for more mechanical but it’s not as if they didn’t raise aero and also all this means that cars not only are going to be faster around the technical bits hence removing the driver out of that but also are going to get significantly slower on the straights so back to 200 mph slower than motogp.

      1. I don’t get your assumptions. Faster around the technical bits means taking the driver out of it? Huh? Significantly slower on the straights? Why? Maybe they’ll run less wing to make up for the added drag from the tires.

        1. All the simulations say the cars will have lower end-of-straight speeds owing to the increased drag, even though they will come out of the corners quicker at the start of the straight.

          The increased width will cause more turbulence making it even harder to follow through corners, although that will mostly be offset by having bigger front wings which should be less affected than today’s. The extra width will also remove some overtaking opportunities unless tracks are widened accordingly.

          Overall the cars will lap more quickly because cornering speed is the biggest influence on lap time, but they will appear slower because there will not be the same braking at the end of the straights and acceleration out of the corners. They will approach the corners more slowly, and take them more quickly, than today.

        1. Glue I should have specified what 70’s cars I was talking about, definitely not 79’s, more like early 70’s http://www.laf1.es/sites/default/files/imagenes/article/ronnie-peterson-lotus-72.jpg I do like late 70’s but definitely not the no refuelling post 84 cars.

  10. Morningview66
    28th May 2016, 11:30

    The new tyres look great. It’s just a shame they will be coupled with the fairy halo!

  11. not a fan of those big ugly things but If the racing improves then result.

  12. The tyres look good, but I really like the front wing also: really simple, not a huge cascade of elements like we see nowadays. Could simplifying the design of those help in reducing the effect of wake when a car follows another one? Is this something the regulations should look into to increase the ratio of mechanical to aerodynamics grip?

    1. I don’t think that front wing is anything like what we will see once they race in anger next year.

      1. I know it’s not, that’s my point: it could be nice to enforce a much simpler front wing, especially if that helped cars follow each other more closely. One can dream…

  13. Shoulda gone low-profile.

    1. @lockup I’m against low-profile but I’m on your side now, low-profile It would give the wheel better proportions.

  14. I foresee a lot of aero wizardry trying to get airflow away from the front of that rear monster.

  15. I feel like I’m alone here, but I think they look worse than we have currently. I think it would be interesting to hear the opinions of the “old” F1 fans versus the “new” ones.

  16. Sergey Martyn
    28th May 2016, 12:11

    Also please bring back V10 and V12

  17. Good start. Too close to the body on that car, but the wider cars with lower rear wing should look really good.
    Now, Mr Pirelli, make them slide.

    1. I’d like to see them slide too, but the powers that be want quicker lap times and sliding would not achieve that.

  18. Need more noise!!!

  19. Neil (@neilosjames)
    28th May 2016, 13:30

    Beautiful little chubsters.

  20. If it looks good, who cares about good racing? Right?:D
    Kidding. Looks really good though)

  21. Love it. Don’t know bout the front, but the rear wing looks to be sized to the new regulations.

  22. amazing tires! I don’t know since which season we don’t have tires as big as these, but it certainly looks like the 70’s.

    1. Until 2008 we had 355mm front and 380mm rear, but grooved. I think the last time 405mm rear slicks were allowed was probably 1997.

  23. Pambos Zeniou
    29th May 2016, 18:06

    I have my concerns about those big tires…..not for the idea, but for FIA. It seems that we cannot have for more than 5 years the same regulations. I cannot understand it. I am not fun of Indy Cars, but look at them, they keep the regulations and the designs of the car for couple of years until they decide to proceed with any changes. Now if the new tires can do the job only the 2017 can tell. I agree with some that mention above that they will look like the 70’s F1 Cars…Are we suppose going forward, why we bring back those big tires, and don’t tell me for mechanical grip since the couple of years back not far away in one race we saw 35 overtakes, something that we couldn’t see in a whole year..so what i understand is that FIA with the changes they did in 2014 they take out all this action that we had in the 2012 – 2014….and with tracks that are very narrow can someone explain me how we will see overtakes…..i believe we will see more tires touching than overtakes.

  24. Thanks dear lord… FINALLY a step on the right direction… trim down aero grip just a little more and cut all the eletric bu&#¨$%, then we will have the racing type we always wanted!

    1. Gary Branham
      14th June 2016, 6:10

      Yes! Cut aero in half, soften suspension, increase mechanical grip. Maybe go to steel brakes to lengthen braking distance. Although, cutting downforce in half will probably extend distances on its own. This WILL improve the racing.

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