Tyre blankets have been in F1 for decades and their purpose is very simple – to pre-heat the tyre to a suitable temperature so that they maximise the car's performance. They enable drivers to take less life out of their rubber to get them into the correct operating window and allow close combat racing and fast flying laps right from when they exit the pitbox. As pressure increases with temperature, getting heat into the tyre has an effect on the car's ride height and mechanical grip: these both drastically affect cornering ability. Changing the ride height is done in millimeters, such is the sensitivity of the car's underfloor aerodynamics, so if the pressure in the tyre isn't up to...
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