Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Casto
"Pretty" wheels/rims was never a factor.
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How are you so sure, I don't suppose you were in the board room of all the stakeholders? I don't think many forum members will raise their hand if you ask if anyone ever worked for an organization that never communicated anything different internally than externally.
Would be strange if the looks were a communicated design goal for the whole car, but not a consideration in choosing the wheel and tire size. It's not as if a large part of the target audience has never put decent sized wheels on their car for the looks.
Any way. Just wanted to put in the effort to show that smaller wheels and tires can still look the part if they have decent width to diameter ratio and they are in proportion to the rest of the car.
About the stated goals for the new wheels (actually we went through this upthread:
- Interchangeability with prototype tires; physically different diameter and compounds not comparable so that's a no.
- Technology transfer between F1 and prototype racing due to a more similar side wall height; You only need the same side wall height for that, not the same wheel size. Both sizes in the two image above have the same side wall height as current F1 cars, so also for this reason you don't need 18-inch
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Technology transfer between F1 and the road due to a more similar side wall height; As above this does not require the same wheels size but similar side wall height. Same as above you don't need 18-inch for that.
Now consider the following stated goals for the 2026 regulations:
- Less drag
- Less weight
- Maintain or improve cars ability to follow, could be aided by less turbulent air coming off the tires.
- Smaller cars
All above favours smaller wheels and tires. So considering the stated goals for the going to 18-inch don't actually require 18-inch but rather an appropriate side wall height and further considering that the stated goals for the 2026 regulations strongly promote smaller wheels and tires, to me the only rational thing to do for the 2026 regulation would be to go for the same side wall height but on a smaller wheel.