Tyre Blistering in Formula 1: Causes and Effects

What causes tyre blistering in Formula 1, how it affects performance, and what teams do to prevent it during a race.

Blistering

Blistering of the tires

Definition

Blistering is what happens to a tyre, or part of a tyre, when it overheats. Excess heat can cause the rubber to soften and break away in chunks from the body of the tyre.

Too high a cold inflation pressure or too much pressure build-up during use causes the tread to overheat. The heat is generated at the interface between the belt plies and the tread, and the rubber melts, causing localised blistering.

Blistering if the tires

More about blistering and how to use tyres can be found here.