Which tires are better?

What’s everyone’s take on tires? (I don't think we've covered this yet.) Which ones are actually better? Everyone keeps hyping up Michelin, but personally, I'm voting for Bridgestone.

I honestly don't see any real distinction between the tires right now...

The Celeste tires were easily the best ones out there; honestly, these modern profiles are just driving me crazy.

In my humble opinion, Goodyear remains the gold standard, whereas everything being used lately just feels like absolute junk... honestly, if Goodyear ever decided to make a comeback to Formula 1, I’d happily let them lap everyone by 10 seconds per circuit without a second thought.

Mississippi.

Carol Ortiz4 said:Goodyear was the best, everything else right now is pure trash... if Goodyear ever came back to Formula 1, I'd let them lap me by 10 seconds every single time.

Hell yeah, I'm rooting for their return too.

Carol Ortiz4 said:Goodyear tires are hands down the best, and everything they're using right now is absolute garbage... if Goodyear ever came back to Formula 1, I'd let them lap me by 10 seconds per lap easy...

I'm with him on this one👍

FJBG
Mr.Ex.President😁

Maybe it’s actually better to just have one supplier. At least then everyone is running under the exact same conditions.

Honestly, I don't think it's even about the tires. It's really more about who's actually behind the wheel driving them.

Raymond Carter2 said:Maybe having just one supplier is actually for the best. It keeps things fair when everyone is running on the exact same conditions.

MONOPOLY AND COMMUNISM!!!

We could even have the manufacturers build identical cars. Honestly, if we could just clone drivers twenty times over... man, wouldn't that be something to watch?

Without the tire wars, racing would honestly be pretty dull. It’s just a shame the current schedule puts the best teams on Bridgestone while everyone else is stuck with Michelin... if they had mixed them up a bit more, we’d see way more overtaking and actual excitement out there...

Raymond Carter2 said:Perhaps it would actually be preferable to have just a single supplier. That way, everyone is competing under the exact same conditions.

I recall reading somewhere that this might actually become the standard rule...

I honestly suspect that Schumacher's fans are going to cast their votes for Bridgestone tires, while everyone else will likely lean toward Michelin, which means you won't end up with anything remotely resembling an objective set of results...

It doesn't have to mean that. Look, I’m not even a Michael Schumacher fan, but I voted for Bridgestone because they actually perform. Everyone keeps hyping up Michelin, yet we see their tires exploding at basically every single race. When did that ever happen to Bridgestone? The only thing I can remember is Barrichello having a blowout right at the end of race.

Raymond Carter2 said:It doesn't necessarily have to be that way. Look, I’m not some die-hard Michael Schumacher fanboy, but I cast my vote for Bridgestone because I genuinely believe they produce a superior product. Everyone seems to be singing the praises of Michelin, yet we watch them suffer multiple tire blowouts at almost every single Grand Prix. When did we ever see a similar disaster from Bridgestone? The only instance that sticks in my mind is when Barrichello had that puncture right toward the end of race.

Personally, I find it hard to believe that a blowout is strictly tied to which manufacturer is providing the rubber. There are so many variables at play—debris on the track, tire pressure fluctuations, or who knows what else—that could trigger such an incident.

urbanmoose3 said:I honestly think Michael Schumacher's fans will vote for Bridgestone tires, while everyone else goes for Michelin, so you won't get any objective results in the end..

Every brand has its own pros and cons.
The Bridgestone rubber really likes the cooler weather. They're durable and perform consistently.
On the other hand, Michelin tires tend to shine on warmer asphalt—they usually have an edge over Bridgestone at the start and near the end of a stint, though they struggle a bit in the middle. Word is Bridgestone has the advantage in the rain, so it's all pretty balanced...

Personally, I think a car like the Ferrari definitely benefits from that Bridgestone consistency (especially since they were basically designed with them in mind). It would be fascinating if teams like Williams, McLaren, and Renault were running different tire compounds.
Imagine if, say, Driver B was ahead of Driver M. Since Driver M has that specific tire advantage, he could overtake Driver B. But then, after a few laps, Driver B's tires might hold up better, allowing him to fight back and pass Driver M again. You'd see that battle play out after every single pit stop.

Of course, that wouldn't work right now because Ferrari is just too dominant. But if McLaren manages to find more speed and sorts out those reliability issues, things could get interesting...

Still, I can't get behind having a single manufacturer for everyone. If there's only one supplier, they just make whatever suits them best—cheaper, harder, whatever. They aren't going to manufacture specialized tires designed specifically to facilitate overtaking. We saw this before; when there was a monopoly, things were one way, but as soon as competition arrived, speeds shot up drastically. The characteristics change entirely.

Besides, Formula 1 isn't just a contest of the best drivers. It’s not even just about the best chassis manufacturers...
It's a race for the best "package." To win, everything has to align perfectly. You need a great driver, great tires, a great car, and top-tier suppliers for every component—the oils, the fuel, all of it. That's the essence of the formula. One weak link can ruin it. Plus, tracks vary so much; what works for one setup just doesn't work for another.

Let's say we standardized everything and—without wanting to offend anyone by picking a hypothetical name—let's say there's a driver who is a pure genius. He's 20 years old and plans to drive until he's 35. In that scenario, we'd be watching the same thing for the next 15 years with zero chance of change (unless someone takes him out).

There are just so many moving parts that influence dominance and victory, which gives everyone else a fighting chance. The truth about this season is that Ferrari and Michael Schumacher are an unbeatable combination. You could honestly call it a miracle. But even that era is slowly winding down, and who knows? Maybe next season it'll be McLaren or Renault. Though, personally, I'd prefer seeing them all neck-and-neck.

urbanmoose3 said:I don't even buy the idea that tire blowouts are strictly tied to the manufacturer. There are tons of variables—debris on the track, tire pressure, who knows what else...

Then why is it always Michelin having these issues? Drivers on Bridgestone rubber go over the exact same track.

Raymond Carter2 said:I mean, how can we act like this is exclusively a Michelin problem? We’ve seen drivers tearing through the track on Bridgestone rubber just fine.

If you take a hard look at the last three races...

If you look back at the last ten, you'll find you get the exact same results.

Carol Ortiz4 said:Goodyear makes the best tires, and everything else right now is just garbage... if Goodyear ever returned to Formula 1, I'd let them lap me by 10 seconds per lap in a heartbeat...

Oh, definitely.🙄 They’d actually be ten seconds behind because they haven't really focused on that kind of R&D for nearly a decade now.

urbanmoose3 said:Sure, you could just look at the last ten games if you want to keep seeing the exact same mediocre results.

Just unknown at this point..