Pirelli’s Isola terms the 2026 F1 tyre tests as challenging yet ultimately satisfactory.
This week behind the scenes, Pirelli conducted pivotal tests in Barcelona, crucial for the future of F1: the 2026 tyres, which will retain their 18-inch size albeit slightly smaller, debuted.
The primary question for Mario Isola, head of Pirelli, is straightforward: what conclusions does he draw from these initial trials?
“Yes, it was obviously the first test, a bit challenging. Our main task was to try to correlate the simulations with the mule cars. We know these cars cannot be representative as the 2026 models will be completely different, but I think we have done good work.”
“Thanks to Aston Martin, which was the first team to conduct the test, we gained valuable insights. And it’s probably also a good starting point as a baseline for future development.”
At Aston Martin F1, it was Felipe Drugovich who was particularly engaged in these trials. What specific feedback did he provide to Isola and Pirelli?
“The main focus was to understand the mechanical balance and the aerodynamic balance of the car. For example, we decided to always run with the DRS open to compensate for the front and rear downforce, and then they made some adjustments to the car settings to balance it properly. But the new tyre size works well.”
“We did not find any operational problems or graining, or other issues that could affect the test. So, we are satisfied with this first test and are ready for the next two sessions.”
What are the future tests planned, and with which teams?
“McLaren next and then Alpine for a wet test. This will continue until the end of the year. And obviously, we are finalizing the test plan for 2025 with all the teams available to build a mule car for us. We are therefore very pleased to be able to conduct tests with each of them.”
2025: A Year of Tyre Stability?
The major revolution is set for 2026 for Formula 1… As for 2025, expect a quiet year in terms of technical regulations.
However, Pirelli tyres will continue to evolve to match the increasing aerodynamic downforce of the F1 cars. Mario Isola also provides some insights into next year’s work.
“The construction, the new specifications have been approved as of September 1st, in line with the regulations. And now, we are fine-tuning the compounds. We have several options. We have the Mugello, where we will finalize the hard compounds, then we have a few more sessions, and the tests during the race weekend in Mexico, where we will test the softs in FP2 with all the teams. I think we are in a good position to finalize the tyres for 2025.”
The 2024 tyres seem to be already performing well: again in Baku, the Pirellis were at the heart of the strategies while allowing the drivers to push.
“Yes, to be honest, we conducted an analysis after the race, as we always do, and we found nothing, I would say, unusual. Obviously, there are many factors that affect the behaviour of the tyres, from car settings, track evolution, the initial laps of the stint, which obviously affects the level of degradation. But the tyres performed well, some teams were able to extract good performances, and that’s exactly what we wanted to achieve in a race that was very interesting.”
“But it wasn’t just Baku, there was Monza, there was Spa. In recent weeks, we’ve had a lot of races that have been very exciting. Clearly, when all the teams are very close in terms of performance, every detail can make a difference, and that’s exactly what’s happening.”
And in Singapore, will the grip be good after the resurfacing?
“We’ve measured the grip. The grip is always good. It’s quite uniform. They use this high-pressure water jet treatment on the asphalt. So I don’t expect any surprises from the track. We saw in FP1 that the level of grip is good. I expect the track to evolve significantly, as is often the case with city circuits.”
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Isola Reviews ‘Challenging’ Initial 2026 F1 Tyre Tests Isola Reviews ‘Challenging’ Initial 2026 F1 Tyre Tests
