HOCKENHEIM, Germany -- Formula One will switch to bigger wheels and low-profile tyres for the next regulation cycle starting in 2021.
The FIA has issued a tender to be F1's single tyre supplier from 2020, and in doing so published the proposed changes to the tyre regulations for the following season. The regulations confirm a move to low-profile tyres on 18-inch rims and a ban on tyre blankets from 2021 to 2023. The front tyres will be narrower, reducing from 305mm in width to 270mm while the rear tyres will remain 405mm wide.
Pirelli tested 18-inch rims in 2014 when the idea of low-profile tyres was first mooted, but it was mainly to offer imagery of the different tyre size.