A lot has been mentioned about how System 1 automobiles will change subsequent 12 months when new rules take impact.
Downforce and drag ranges will cut back, the automobiles will get barely smaller and lighter, and the electrical a part of the facility unit may have a higher contribution.
Completely different efficiency attributes naturally deliver completely different calls for on the tyres. F1 provider Pirelli is subsequently attempting to make sure a easy transition from the present rules to the subsequent.
The Italian firm’s goal is to deliver tyres that provide comparable efficiency, degradation and steadiness traits to what’s at present used.
Nonetheless, its activity has been difficult by the truth that no 2026 automobiles can be out there till pre-season testing subsequent February.
As a substitute, Pirelli has wanted to check its future F1 tyres on automobiles constructed to the previous rule e-book that aren’t on this 12 months’s grid.
‘Clearly, we have to perceive how the brand new automobiles are going to work,’ says Pirelli motorsport director Mario Isola.
‘In the intervening time, we’ve got an estimation. We have now simulations coming from the groups. But it surely’s not possible to check the tyres on monitor with consultant automobiles.’
To get as near the efficiency of the 2026 automobiles as it may with the present crop, Pirelli has requested the groups to adapt their current-generation automobiles into mules.
5 groups have examined prototypes of the 2026 tyres up to now: Alpine, Aston Martin, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes. Williams will change into the sixth when it joins a session at Bahrain Worldwide Circuit in early March.
As typical for tyre testing, the groups should not given particulars of what specs they’re operating on, however their suggestions is famous by Pirelli’s engineers and used to tell what constructions and compounds it in the end goes with.
Pirelli must finalise its 2026 tyre constructions by September however Isola expects it to have one thing that’s ‘not too far’ from the ultimate product by Could.
‘We have now the mule automobiles, however the aero package deal is identical as they’ve now, so the stress on the tyre might be not similar to what we may have in 2026,’ he says.
‘Particularly as a result of the brand new automobiles mustn’t generate a lot [drag] on the principle straight, so we expect larger prime pace, however an identical quantity of downforce within the corners that’s barely decrease, on paper.’
Pirelli is assuming the 2026 automobiles won’t be too completely different from the present ones almost about vertical and lateral load in cornering.
‘That’s what is vital for us to grasp: how a lot power you’re placing into the tyres,’ Isola provides.
‘Which means degradation and integrity. Additionally, to grasp the fitting minimal strain to present to the groups.
‘There are lots of query marks, however the last goal is to have tyres which are comparable in efficiency, degradation and steadiness traits to now.
‘What we will anticipate, due to the marginally smaller diameter measurement and width, might be a bit extra overheating that we have to compensate for with new compounds.
‘The upper strain is to compensate the vertical load: we have to perceive what the vertical load is.’
When Pirelli developed its first batch of F1 tyres for the 2011 season, it had entry to a impartial check automobile, the Toyota T109, which turned out there after the Japanese producer’s exit from the championship.
No such luxurious is afforded this time round. In truth, it’s gone the opposite means, contemplating Cadillac is about to affix in 2026 and doesn’t have an older F1 automobile out there to run.
Pirelli additionally must depend on the opposite groups bringing mule automobiles that give correct readings on the tyre information.
‘Aston [Martin used the] 2023 [car],’ says Isola. ‘They modified the automobile to suit the brand new measurement.
‘So, there is no such thing as a change in aero package deal, however the energetic aerodynamic [device] will not be current. The brand new [flatter] flooring will not be there.
‘It’s at all times a problem. However instance is once we moved from 13 to 18-inch tyres and it was a really comparable scenario.
‘Completely different automobiles, completely different aero packages, completely different traits. In that case, we’ve got used rather a lot the digital fashions of the tyres, along with the digital simulations of the groups, to correlate what we noticed on monitor with the digital atmosphere.’
The limitation of real-world testing with anachronistic autos means Pirelli depends closely on simulations.
Groups have been testing their 2026 F1 automobiles within the simulator for a lot of months now, so the mechanical properties are moderately nicely understood.
Pirelli’s digital fashions have additionally acquired extra superior over time.
‘I imagine we did lots of steps in the fitting route,’ says Isola. ‘In the intervening time, the thermal mechanical mannequin of the slick tyre is working fairly nicely.
‘It’s tougher for moist circumstances. A mannequin for the moist tyre is absolutely troublesome to develop as a result of we’ve got little information for correlation.
‘For the slick tyre, we will correlate the info from the digital tyre to what we see on monitor.
‘Within the digital atmosphere, there are additionally some query marks for 2026. Normally, we’ve got completely different loops for growth. We begin with a mannequin of the tyre that we provide to the groups.
‘They’re utilizing the mannequin of their simulators. They arrive again to us with suggestions, and [using that feedback] we fine-tune the mannequin, they usually use the brand new one, and so forth.
‘We have now three or 4 loops throughout the earlier season in an effort to have higher fashions and to correlate this mannequin with what we see on monitor.’
The principle change for the tyres in 2026 is the discount of the tyre’s width by 25mm on the entrance and 30mm on the rear.
Initially, the plan was to additionally cut back the diameter of the tyres by two inches, nevertheless that was scrapped in favour of holding the 18-inch diameter.
‘The estimation was to have hundreds that have been a lot decrease in comparison with the present automobiles,’ remembers Isola.
‘However the actuality is that, in case you go decrease with the a great deal of the quantity that was estimated at first, the lap time was a lot slower.
‘We’re speaking about 5-6 seconds slower. This isn’t what they need. We have to maintain a distinction between System 1 and System 2: System 1 needs to be essentially the most performing automobile.
‘What I heard is that they don’t need to be slower than greater than three seconds per lap.
‘The present estimation… we’re not removed from present lap instances. After we acquired the info and the targets for the brand new automobiles, we merely mentioned, in case you go for the 16-inch tyre, it’s not attainable to realize this efficiency. We [would] want to extend the strain sky excessive and the extent of overheating can be loopy.
‘So, we urged to scale back the tyres to try to avoid wasting weight and keep on the 18-inch tyre. Not happening with the rim diameter.’
Pirelli’s F1 testing up to now
Thus far, the groups which were concerned in Pirelli’s testing of 2026 slick tyre choices have accomplished roughly 7400km between them.
An extra 1500km has been logged on intermediate and moist compounds; all assessments have taken place over two days.
Pirelli carried out its first such check in September 2024. It began by specializing in a single automobile, earlier than growing its mileage by welcoming different groups to the monitor in early 2025.
The maiden check at Barcelona concerned an Aston Martin AMR23 which accomplished simply shy of 1400km with the staff’s reserve driver, Felipe Drugovich, behind the wheel.
The second slick tyre check befell with a McLaren MCL60 at Mugello the next month, however rain restricted the automobile’s operating to 619km.
Testing for the 2026 moist climate tyres began at Magny-Cours in November. An Alpine A523 initially turned laps on slick tyres earlier than sampling intermediates and wets on an artificially watered monitor.
Automobile mechanical points on day one restricted the mileage, though Jack Doohan nonetheless managed to log round 675km.
After the conclusion of the 2024 season and the winter break, Pirelli returned to testing in late January with a go to to Paul Ricard, utilizing one of many French circuit’s quick configurations.
McLaren accomplished 840km, splitting the driving duties between Oscar Piastri on day one and Lando Norris on day two.
Not lengthy after, in early February, Ferrari joined the British staff at Barcelona to get its first real-world style of the 2026 prototype rubber choices, utilizing the toughest compounds.
Every staff was scheduled to run simply shy of 750km per day, with Ferrari sharing out its seat time between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, and McLaren holding Piastri on the helm.
Between Ferrari and McLaren, nearly 3000km was racked up, making it the most efficient outing so removed from a mileage standpoint.
One other multi-team check was held at Jerez in mid-February with Alpine, McLaren and Mercedes, which swapped in for McLaren for the second and last day. That put one other 2470km within the financial institution.
Based on Isola, mule automobile availability determines which groups run on the prototype 2026 rubber.
Others are set to return alongside later, though some have mentioned they’re unable to supply a mule automobile till the summer season.
For Pirelli, the goal is to do real-world testing with constructions which are near what it believes would be the last product, reasonably than beginning with a large internet and whittling down.
‘We attempt to cut back as a lot as attainable the variety of choices with some digital and indoor assessments to evaluate the tyres’ traits,’ concludes Isola.
‘It’s significantly better to go on monitor with fewer prototypes and check them higher, than having an enormous variety of prototypes and simply operating three laps on every of them.
‘The concept is that, in at some point of testing, you might have round 4 or 5 completely different merchandise.
‘Generally we’ve got extra. However once we begin the event of various compounds, we’re within the section of efficiency runs [and] you’ll be able to check eight or 9 completely different compounds in at some point.
‘However that’s probably not the goal. The goal is to remain within the vary of 5 or 6 options, most.’
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