Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli has firmly dismissed any connection between its 2026 development tyres and the crash involving Alpine driver Franco Colapinto during the manufacturer’s private test session at the Hungaroring on Wednesday.
The incident, which occurred at the track’s high-speed Turn 11, brought an abrupt end to Colapinto’s running in the second day of Pirelli’s post-race testing programme.
The damage to Alpine’s car was significant, but the Argentine driver emerged unscathed and was cleared by medical staff on-site.
“During Day 2 of Pirelli Tyre Testing at the Hungaroring this morning, Franco Colapinto had an incident at Turn 11,” Alpine stated. “Franco was assessed on site at the medical centre and is OK.”
No Link to Tyre Failure, Says Pirelli
The crash happened during testing of the slightly narrower tyres that will be introduced in 2026 as part of F1's upcoming regulation changes. But Mario Isola, Pirelli’s Head of Motorsport, quickly dismissed any suggestion that the company’s product was to blame for the mishap.
“We have collected a lot of data, although it was a pity that we lost some of our potential mileage today when Colapinto went off the track, even though this was not in any way linked to the tyres,” Isola confirmed.
©Pirelli
The two-day session saw four teams – Alpine, McLaren, Ferrari and Racing Bulls – gather vital data for Pirelli as the Italian manufacturer works to finalize its 2026 tyre compounds.
“These have been two useful days for making progress with the development of our compounds for next season, given that we are now entering the home straight,” said Isola.
“The Hungaroring is a demanding track due to its many slow curves and the amount of energy that goes into the tyres on a lap that is rather short.
“This makes it a challenging place to test tyres, in particular for the compounds that will be central to the 2026 range – which will go from C1 to C6 like this year.”
Construction Homologation on Track
Alongside compound testing, Pirelli used the session to finalize structural designs ahead of the upcoming regulatory deadlines.
“As for construction, we have verified our final solutions as far as homologation is concerned, ahead of the regulations coming on September 1,” Isola explained.
“By contrast we now have three further test sessions – in Monza, Mugello and Mexico City – to conclude the development of the compounds, whose homologation is due on December 15.”
©Pirelli
The revised 2026 tyres will feature a narrower profile: 25 millimetres less at the front and 30 millimetres at the rear compared to the current specification.
Colapinto had been sharing driving duties with Pierre Gasly during the two-day session, but the crash inevitably brought his running to an early end on Wednesday. Still, Pirelli remains on schedule as it approaches the final stretch of development for the next generation of Formula 1 tyres.
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