IN 2007, Bridgestone became the sole tyre supplier for Formula One.

Another rule that was added is both types of tyres, the soft compound and the hard compound, to be used in one race with a limit of one set of soft compound tyres per race while any number of sets of hard compound tyres can be used. This rule applies only for dry races, as long as the race is declared a wet race, the teams will change to wet weather tyres and both compounds will no longer have to be used.

What is tyre compound and what is the difference?

Different tyre compounds have different mixtures of rubber. The softer the compound the more grip you get, but the softer compound will wear out more quickly. Hard compound tyres are more durable but give less grip.

Also, softer tyres heat up more quickly on track and which enables a driver to better his lap times faster.

Strategies

Teams have to decide when to use their soft compound tyres to give their drivers an edge. In every race, the standard strategy a team will use is the two-stop strategy. This meaning during the race, the driver would have to pit in twice to change tyres and top up fuel. Teams would assess the situation during the race and decide then which tyres to use unless the race was started on soft compound tyres.

For example, if a driver is stuck behind a slower driver, the team would put on the soft compound tyres to give him the additional grip to make the overtaking manoeuvre. Teams would use lighter fuel loads with soft compound tyres to make the car a little faster during the stint as soft compound tyres don't last that long.

Today's race

For today's race in Sepang, teams would face a tough decision on tyre choice as track temperature in Sepang is extremely high. The higher the temperature, the faster the tyre wears out. This would be one of the main factors for today's race. It could just help that certain driver to win the race.

LUKE NETTO is a self-confessed petrolhead and Formula One nut who often heads to the Sepang Circuit to race cars. This season, he will offer readers a layman's easy-to-understand analysis of the highly-technical sport

This article was first published in The New Paper on Mar 23, 2008.