F1 2021 Suspension, Wheels and Tyres

The move to 18inch wheels and tyres was announced earlier this year, which will have a huge impact on performance. Not only does this allow for a larger brake disc, but the suspension will have to be completely redesigned.

‘With an 18 inch tyre you have less volume of air inside it, so you have a different pressure increase which modifies the footprint,’ explains Mario Isola, Head of Car Racing at Pirelli Motorsport. ‘The tyre is a lot more reactive, and more precise and teams will need to redesign the suspension because the sidewall of the tyre is a lot less compared to now. We are also increasing the external diameter, so this will influence the aerodynamics and don’t forget that the interaction between the brake and the rim is very important, not only for heat exchange but also for the airflows that are in this area.’

Of course, with the wheel rims now standardised, teams will have less opportunity to explore F1 Rim Heating to help manage tyre temperatures.

There was talk of banning tyre blankets, but Tombazis confirmed that these will still be used throughout 2021 and 2022. Although, costs will be reduced by decreasing temperatures as well as the number of tyre blankets available to the teams.

New wheel size requires new suspension and if that wasn’t tough enough, the new regulations have simplified the suspension massively. Not only is hydraulic suspension now banned, but so are inerters. ‘We feel that [these components] have no real relevance to roadcars and is leading to ultra complicated systems,’ says Tombazis. ‘We’re also simplifying the inboard part of the suspension in terms of springs and dampers and also the kinematics. The outboard suspension points will now be inside the volume of the wheel rim, not sticking outside which we hope will simplify those areas.’