Pirelli’s new F1 tyres for 2026 are “quite a step worse”

Mercedes driver George Russell believes Components 1 is in peril of lowering the standard of its Pirelli tyres when the brand new guidelines start in 2026.

The championship is about to overtake its technical laws subsequent 12 months, which incorporates introducing tyres that are narrower – by 25mm on the entrance and 30mm on the rear – than the present rubber.

This variation is an try to scale back drag ranges, with the FIA initially wanting to switch from 18-inch tyres to 16-inch however Pirelli opposed that for each practicality and advertising and marketing causes.

Russell took half in a tyre take a look at at Jerez in February and, though he’s comparatively optimistic for the brand new laws, his greatest concern lies with the Pirelli rubber at present being proposed.

“That [the test] was a little bit of a problem in comparison with the broader tyres we’ve in the present day,” stated the three-time grand prix winner in Bahrain for 2025 pre-season testing.

“It was fairly a step worse with the brand new tyres. That’s naturally the case, as a result of they’re simply far more slender. So hopefully they are going to be improved over the upcoming months.”

A number of drivers have undertaken Pirelli tyre testing for 2026, together with these of McLaren and Ferrari in Barcelona, but many of the beneficial information has really come from the simulator.

That’s as a result of there are at present no automobiles consultant of the 2026 guidelines for Pirelli to check with, so skinny-winged mule machines have had to be used.

Though the general downforce ranges of those mule automobiles are comparatively near 2026 specs, as a result of the brand new machines are so completely different it’s nonetheless troublesome for Pirelli to accurately reproduce the hundreds its new tyres will probably be subjected to.

“The one factor we will do is to constantly ask for up to date 2026 simulations from the groups, mainly,” Pirelli’s motorsport chief Mario Isola instructed Autosport in early February.

“We should replace our know-how and replace our building in accordance with the info that we obtain.

“We can not simply depend on the mule automobiles as a result of it gained’t be wise, and we’ll proceed to supply them a digital mannequin of the tyre to make use of of their simulators they usually come again to us with their suggestions. And that is the correct route we must always proceed in.”