The tyres on a F1 car are incredibly important -- they keep the car on the track and translate the driver's inputs from the steering wheel, brakes and accelerator into reality. Especially because the driver continually testing the boundaries of tire adhesion, the limit to how fast the driver can accelerate, brake or take a corner is determined ultimately by the tires. To handle the incredible forces applied to them, the tires of a F1 car are much different from the tires you find on your car.
The development of special tyres for racing purposes is a fairly recent phenomenon. The first trials to place at the American circuit of daytona in 1957 and their use became general practice in 1962. Here is a diagram of how the race tyre is built up.
Since Formula 1 cars often run in wet weather, the tyre companies have developed tyres especially to cope with a saturated race track. These tyres have elaborate tread patterns to sweep water from under them whilst maintaining maximum contact with the road surface. At 190mph they can disperse 26 litres water per second.
