The Aston Martin team took a step into the future of Formula 1 this week when it became the first outfit to test Pirelli’s narrower 2026-spec tyres.
The testing took place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where Aston Martin reserve driver Felipe Drugovich covered 670 kilometers on Tuesday and was set to complete another day of testing on Wednesday at the wheel of the team’s 2023-spec car.
Pirelli's new tyres, which are part of a broader push to reduce overall car weight for the upcoming 2026 rule changes, are slightly narrower than the current versions.
The 18-inch rims, introduced with the latest ground-effect cars, will remain, but the tyres will be reduced in both width and diameter.
Specifically, the front tyres will be 25mm narrower, and the rear tyres will shrink by 30mm. Additionally, the tyres will decrease in diameter, moving from the current 720mm to a range of 705-710mm.
Although Formula 1 and the FIA have yet to set in stone the sport’s 2026 rulebook, Pirelli was eager to test the new tyres on track to gather valuable data.
This led to an agreement with the FIA for a mule car test programme, where modified 2023 cars would be used for these early evaluations.
Aston team principal Mike Krack revealed that Team Silverstone became the first outfit to take part in Pirelli’s testing programme as the result of a “lottery process”.
“There was a selection process – or a lottery process – because there was a number of teams who wanted to be part of this test programme. We were drawn first, so we are the first to do this,” Krack explained, quoted by Motorsport.com.
©Pirelli
McLaren and Alpine are expected to follow Aston Martin in the initial round of mule car tests, with the remaining teams taking their turn later in the development programme.
To ensure fairness, the FIA had to adjust the regulations to allow for mule car testing without giving any team an unfair advantage.
Mario Isola, Pirelli’s head of car racing, highlighted the delicate balance involved in organizing these tests.
“Obviously, on one side, they [the FIA] don't want to give an advantage to anyone,” he said. “That is understandable. On the other side, we need to have cars that are as much as possible representative of the 2026 situation.”
Isola also emphasized that this week’s maiden test was primarily focused on establishing a baseline.
©Pirelli
“We will choose, together with the teams, a downforce level that is representative,” he added. “But this is the very first test. We are going to test the baseline to understand if the balance is correct.
“Obviously, we have simulations, and we have indoor testing, and we already released indoor data to all the teams, as usual, and we are going to distribute the report after the test with the teams too.”
The introduction of these new tyres is a crucial part of Pirelli’s preparation for the 2026 regulations, and the data gathered from these early tests will be shared with all teams, ensuring transparency as Formula 1 looks ahead to its next era.
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