F1MATHS: Where did Pirelli test its 2026 tyres across the current season?
With the all-new technical and engine regulations for the upcoming season, Pirelli will also supply different tyres to the teams had at their disposal across the past seasons. F1Technical's senior writer Balazs Szabo delivers some stats and facts regarding the development process of the 2026 F1 tyres.
Pirelli homologated its tyres for the 2026 season on the 15th of December, followed by a comprehensive development and validation programme throughout the year.
The 2026 tyre range retains the 18‑inch wheel format introduced in 2022 but features slightly narrower dimensions to suit the next generation of lighter, more agile cars.
The penultimate on‑track running took place in Mexico City, where Sauber and Mercedes conducted the last evaluations of the softer compounds on October 28–29. With the constructions already validated on September 1, the Mexico test marked the final step before the definitive compound approval scheduled for December 15.
The development cycle spanned 15 two‑day test sessions across seven countries, reflecting the scale of the regulatory shift coming in 2026. Pirelli began the process in 2024 with three initial sessions: dry‑compound tests in Barcelona and Mugello in September, followed by wet‑weather running at Magny‑Cours in November. These early outings laid the groundwork for a far more intensive programme the following year.
In 2025, Pirelli conducted twelve additional sessions, with the majority of running concentrated in Spain and Italy. Barcelona hosted two slick‑tyre tests in February and June, the latter immediately after the Spanish Grand Prix, while Jerez provided further dry‑weather data during a February outing.
Italian circuits played a central role as well, with Fiorano used for artificially wet testing in June and both Monza and Mugello hosting sessions later in the year. However, adverse weather at both venues disrupted plans for slick‑tyre evaluation, limiting the amount of dry‑compound mileage Pirelli had hoped to gather.
Wet‑weather development was also carried out at Paul Ricard in January and at Silverstone in May, where the track was again artificially soaked to test the Wet and Intermediate compounds. Pirelli returned to Silverstone after the British Grand Prix in July to work on the harder end of the slick‑tyre range, using data collected during the pre‑season test in Bahrain to refine the new construction.
Ahead of the final Mexico test, the softer compounds were also assessed in Budapest in early August, immediately following the Hungarian Grand Prix. All ten Formula One teams participated in at least one session during the programme, having declared their availability to the FIA and Pirelli throughout the year. This broad involvement ensured that the tyre supplier gathered data across a wide range of car characteristics, setups, and driving styles.
The full grid had the opportunity to test the finalised specification during the post‑season test in Abu Dhabi on December 9–10, where teams ran mule cars adapted to the new tyre size.
