Formula One will switch to bigger wheels and low-profile tires for the next regulation cycle starting in 2021, according to ESPN.
The FIA has issued a tender to be F1’s single tire supplier from 2020, and in doing so published the proposed changes to the tire regulations for the following season. The regulations confirm a move to low-profile tires on 18-inch rims and a ban on tire blankets from 2021 to 2023. The front tires will be narrower, reducing from 305 m.m. in width to 270 m.m. while the rear tires will remain 405 m.m. wide.
Pirelli tested 18-inch rims in 2014 when the idea of low-profile tires was first mooted, but it was mainly to offer imagery of the different tire size. Pirelli took over from Bridgestone as F1’s sole supplier in 2011 and has expressed a desire to continue in its current role, ESPN reported.
For more on the new regulations, click here.