Formula 1 has been described as being in crisis, with dull races with little overtaking, a lack of characters in the paddock (when taciturn Finn Kimi Raikonnen is probably the most interesting personality, you know you’re in trouble) and a generally uncompetitive field, not helped by the recent dominance of Mercedes.

The current tyres, manufactured by Pirelli, where formulated to introduce a layer of strategy in races through rapid tyre degradation. There’s no doubt that Pirelli did a great job here, though I can’t imagine convincing one of the world’s biggest performance tyre manufacturers to design a “bad” tyre was easy. The unfortunate side effect of the rapid tyre degradation is that drivers cannot race flat-out for much of the race, forced to conserve the tyres to minimise pit stops and exploit the narrow optimal operating window of the tyre. This has had the opposite effect to what was intended, with many overtakes happening through the pit stop phase, further compounding the un-exciting.

Pirelli have recently been re-awarded the tyre contract for F1, but there are hopes that the tyres will be reformulated in the near future. This will be a welcome boost to the sport, but many more changes are needed to return to the sports heyday.

When buying tyres you are often asked what sort you want. Some people know what brand of tyre they like and will always stick to the same one, other people may go with the cheapest option. Tyres are split into groups often referred to as budget, mid-range and premium branded tyres.

Trying to work out which tyres you need dependent on the make and model of your car, mileage and driving style can be confusing and often people buy tyres that are not really the most suitable for what they need.

Some people always go for premium brands, believing that they must be better due to the price, but this is not always the case as some mid-range tyres actually offer better performance.

When deciding on what tyre you need to buy, look online for reviews and also to compare the statistics such as grip in wet and dry, fuel economy and road noise.

Part worn tyres are a great way to save money. They allow you to replacing your tyres with ones that are above the legal limit for often less than half the price of new ones. Often you will not be able to get four of the same branded tyres, but as long as they are compatible and of a same sort of quality, this should not matter.

Always remember to check the tyre on your space wheel, as there is nothing worse than having a puncture and coming to replace the wheel to find that they tyre on it is bald and not legal. The legal limit for tyres depth is 1.6mm in a continuous band around the central three quarters of the tyre in a continuous band around the central three quarters of the tyre. Part worn tyres are sold with a minimum of 3mm. Not all tyre garages offer part worn tyres, so it is worth shopping around to find the best place.