Tyre Degradation

Every Formula 1 race is shaped by how quickly each car destroys its tyres. "Deg" is the rate at which lap times slow as rubber wears: a driver might be two seconds a lap faster on fresh softs than on a set that's thirty laps old, but if their rival degrades tyres more slowly, they might not need to stop as early, gaining back the undercut window.

Degradation is driven by a combination of track surface (abrasive circuits like Bahrain are brutal), ambient temperature (hot asphalt accelerates wear), car setup (higher downforce generates more grip but also more heat), and driving style. A driver who overheats the rear tyres chasing lap time might be quicker in the first stint but lose pace far faster than a team-mate who preserves rubber for a longer final sprint.

Teams model degradation carefully in pre-race simulation, but the real picture only emerges during the race. Engineers watch the lap-time evolution chart in real time, comparing each driver's degradation curve to rivals and adjusting their predicted pit windows accordingly. If a driver is degrading slower than expected, they can extend a stint and undercut later; if degradation is worse, an early stop can cut the losses.

Graining and blistering are two distinct failure modes. Graining is surface rubber tearing off and re-depositing, creating a rough texture that can "clear" after a few laps. Blistering is subsurface heat damage, and once a tyre blisters it doesn't recover — the compound has to be pitted immediately.

In the Strategy tab, the lap-time evolution chart shows each driver's degradation curve — a steepening slope means pace is falling away, which is exactly the signal that drives pit-window decisions.