The Technical Advisory Committee has accepted Pirelli’s request not to switch to 16-inch tires because the weight savings were lower than expected. The Milanese company will reduce the width and shoulder of the 18-inch tires to meet the demands from the FIA. The risk of overheating, which was a concern for 2025, has been averted.
Countermanded. In 2026, Formula 1 will not switch to 16-inch tires as proposed by the FIA in an attempt to reduce the weight of future single-seaters. Pirelli pushed to change the mind of F1 representatives after conducting specific studies on both the smaller tire sizes and the effects that switching to 16-inch tires would have had technically and in terms of marketing.
It would have been difficult to explain to the general public, who watches F1, why the sport was reverting to previous choices after switching from traditional 13-inch to 18-inch tires only in 2022. Such a move could have been seen as a negative step backward, reducing the technological transfer that can occur between F1 and the range of road-going P Zero tires.
It is clear that the decision makes it easier for the sole supplier: Pirelli would have been forced to revise tire production processes in time to schedule an adequate number of tests for the development and approval of the 2026 tires in 2025.
The decision to stick with 18-inch tires was made by the TAC (Technical Advisory Committee) at the last meeting, although the result has not yet been officially confirmed. The 18-inch tires will be different from the current ones in an effort to meet the FIA’s needs: the intention is to further reduce the width and shoulder to save weight, knowing that with 16-inch tires, only 4 or 5 kg per wheel could be saved, and the desired weight reduction would be significantly lower than achievable.
Pirelli advocated against introducing smaller tires, and it should be noted that Nikolas Tombazis, head of single-seater technical matters at the FIA, acknowledged the efforts made by the Italian brand to find the best solution.
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Pirelli is heavily involved in developing tires for the 2025 championship to combat overheating, aiming to provide more stability to the tires, while switching to 16-inch tires would have reintroduced the problem even more pressingly with less ability to dissipate heat.
“We are close to defining the dimensions of the 2026 tires,” Pirelli Motorsport boss Mario Isola admitted to Motorsport.com. “Obviously, when thinking about tires, we must consider the entire package, including the corner as brakes, rims, suspensions, and tires, but we are close to finding a compromise.”
“The new single-seaters will be very different from these and require different tires: we are considering a slightly smaller diameter with a slightly lower profile and a slightly slimmer tire.”
Pirelli should be able to produce the first prototypes by September, starting track tests at the conclusion of the testing schedule agreed with the FIA and teams.
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