When preparing for the upcoming season, mule cars always play a key role. These are specially modified Formula 1 cars used in testing, and here’s how they work.
Modern Formula 1 allows for a very limited number of on-track tests before each championship. While this is manageable during periods of regulatory stability, the situation changes dramatically when a technical revolution approaches. This is exactly the case for 2026: given the scale of the changes, teams will need to be fully prepared for the opening race despite having very few days of testing—a challenge that is far from simple.
The updates will not concern only the cars themselves but also externally supplied components, such as tires, which will also be updated for 2026. Today’s simulation systems are extremely advanced, allowing teams to design a car almost entirely without physical testing. However, certain parts still require real-world track data, and tires are among the most critical. Pirelli began testing 2026 tire prototypes last year. The new tires will be smaller, narrower, and lighter, with a wider performance gap between the different compounds.
Which cars are fitted with these new tires?
Just as happened in 2022 with the arrival of 18-inch wheels, extensive testing is once again necessary. Since it is impossible to fit the new tires on current cars, the FIA has authorized the use of mule cars. These are vehicles, often from the previous season or the current one, specially modified by teams to evaluate technical solutions intended for the future. We already saw them during the post-season Abu Dhabi tests equipped with 2026 tires, but a closer look reveals many other interesting updates.
The 2026 cars will be revolutionary: smaller, with less aerodynamic downforce, and featuring active aerodynamics at both the front and rear. This will result in different performance characteristics and, consequently, completely new stresses on the tires. Pirelli, therefore, found itself testing future tires on cars that are far more powerful than those that will compete in 2026, with loads and stresses on the compounds that are not entirely representative.
Modified aerodynamics to simulate 2026
To get as close as possible to the expected 2026 conditions, Pirelli asked teams to use extremely low-downforce wings, similar to those normally used at Monza. This reduces aerodynamic load, approaching the values expected for next-generation cars. It was striking during the latest tests to see cars running ultra-low-downforce setups on tracks that typically require high-downforce configurations.
Another key development is the introduction of active front aerodynamics. When the flap opens, the front end loses downforce, and the tire experiences different loads. For this reason, at Abu Dhabi, Mercedes and Ferrari brought modified front wings with hydraulic systems capable of lowering the two upper flaps.
For other teams without these movable solutions, a speed limit of 300 km/h was imposed to avoid unrealistic load values that could distort the data.
Pirelli has therefore been working in a complex environment, developing the 2026 tires based on partially unreliable information collected from cars that are very different from the ones that will race next year.
The 2026 season will represent a huge challenge for all teams, with only three testing sessions available: the first in Barcelona and the other two in Bahrain, starting at the end of January.
Source: f1ingenerale
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