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Tyres
Summary
Tyres are complex and strange things. But they form the most basic, and also the most important aspect of a car's performance. Generally motorsport teams spend as much time and money on testing tyres as they do testing every other part of the car (including the engine) combined! They're just that important.
Every aspect of a competition car's chassis design and set-up is tuned in order to get the most out of the tyres. A world class competition driver subconsciously and consciously trims the car by minute amounts through the bends in order to maximise the tyre performance.
One of motorsport's cruel balancing acts is that the range in which maximum performance can be found from a tyre, is also the range where the majority of wear happens. In fact, maximum performance is generally JUST under maximum wear. The absolute best driver are able to balance between that sweat spot and get exactly what they want out of the tyres.
On the road, no amount of water cooled 12 pot brakes with ventilated, cross drilled, grooved, floating disks will stop you if its wet and your tyres are bald.
Everything depends on the tyres, which is why tyres are a driver's best friend, but can also be their biggest critic!
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