TARMAC to the contact patch

TARMAC is a word used around the world to describe the roads we use to get around, the runways used to fly off on holidays or by F1 TV commentators talking about tyre selection. The public think of pot-holes and traffic jams. Pilots are concerned about getting aircraft stopped in wet conditions due to rubber building up on the runway. In contrast, F1 commentators frequently refer to the tarmac being green until race teams see the benefit of laying down rubber to improve lap times. Whilst the black stuff used to build roads, runways and tracks looks the same to most people, calling it TARMAC is wrong.