Enlarge / On the left, a 2021-spec 13-inch Formula One tire. To its right, a 2022-spec 18-inch F1 tire. (credit: Steven Tee / LAT Images)
Pirelli provided flights to Austin and three nights in a hotel so we could attend the US Grand Prix. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.
Formula One goes to Abu Dhabi this weekend. When the checkered flag waves and the fireworks fly on Sunday night, a thrilling season will end with either Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen emerging as this year’s champion.
But the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix doesn’t just mean the end of an exciting year of racing—it also marks the end of an era as the sport prepares for a radical change to its tires. For decades, F1 cars have run on 13-inch wheels, wrapped in tires with high-profile sidewalls. But as part of 2022’s radical technical shakeup, the sport is now