Pirelli has been Formula One’s sole tyre supplier since 2011.
The Italian manufacturer became the exclusive supplier after Bridgestone withdrew from Formula One at the end of the 2010 season. Pirelli’s return created a single- supplier tyre era in which every team receives tyres from the same company, although teams still make strategic choices about compounds, pressures and pit-stop timing.
Formula One tyres are specialised racing equipment rather than long-life road tyres. Their compounds are designed for grip, warm-up and controlled degradation, and tyre behaviour can strongly influence overtaking and race strategy. Pirelli identifies dry-weather compounds with colour coding, while separate intermediate and wet-weather tyres are used in rain.
Several famous brands supplied Formula One before Pirelli, including Goodyear, Michelin and Bridgestone. That history can cause confusion, especially because Bridgestone was the sole supplier immediately before Pirelli. Pirelli itself also has an earlier Formula One history, having competed during several periods before returning as the championship’s exclusive supplier in 2011.