The second and final day of on-track testing dedicated to the development of the Pirelli tyres for the 2026 Formula 1 season came to a conclusion today at the Hungaroring circuit. The testing session saw the participation of both Scuderia Ferrari and the Alpine F1 Team, who were involved in a fundamental phase of preparation to validate the specifications of the future tyres. These specifications are expected to be officially homologated in September, as per the current technical regulations. The two drivers taking part in the session were Charles Leclerc for Ferrari and Franco Colapinto for Alpine, both playing key roles in this development process.
The weather conditions throughout the day remained consistent and favourable for testing. Air temperatures ranged between 21°C and 29°C, while the track surface temperatures fluctuated between 31°C and 53°C. The test programme for the day included short-distance runs in the morning session on prototype compounds ranging from C3 to C5. These runs were followed by longer stints in the afternoon, including specific tests on the newly developed C2 compound, aimed at evaluating its performance under more extended usage conditions.
Franco Colapinto crashes, Alpine halts testing; smooth programme for Ferrari and Charles Leclerc
Franco Colapinto’s testing day came to a premature end after just 25 laps completed. The Argentine driver suffered an off-track excursion during the early hours of the morning session. The crash caused significant damage to the Alpine car, making it impossible for the French team to return to the track for the remainder of the day. Before the accident occurred, Franco Colapinto had set his fastest lap time of the day at 1:20.270.
Meanwhile, Ferrari was able to carry out its planned testing programme without any major issues. Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc completed a total of 144 laps around the tight and twisty Hungarian circuit, the fastest of which was a 1:19.407. The team collected a substantial amount of technical data that will be extremely valuable for both the Italian team’s engineers and for Pirelli in the tyre development process.
Mario Isola: “Construction validated, now we shift focus to compound development”
Pirelli Motorsport’s Director, Mario Isola, provided a detailed summary of the two-day testing session, highlighting the progress made and the next steps in the development of the 2026 Formula 1 tyre range.
“These two days have proven to be very useful for continuing the development process of the new tyre compounds for next season,” said Mario Isola. “We are now entering the final and most decisive phase. The Hungaroring is a highly demanding circuit due to its many slow-speed corners and the intense energy load the tyres are subjected to during a relatively short lap. It serves as a particularly challenging test environment for the mid-range compounds of the 2026 line-up – which will once again include six dry-weather options, ranging from C1 to C6, just like the current season.”
“We were able to gather a large amount of performance and degradation data across the two days. Unfortunately, we missed out on some valuable mileage today due to the off-track incident involving Franco Colapinto. However, I would like to clarify that the crash was in no way caused by tyre-related issues,” Mario Isola continued.
“As far as the tyre construction is concerned, we have now validated our final solutions, which are scheduled to be homologated on 1 September in accordance with the technical regulations. We will now proceed with three more dedicated testing sessions – one at Monza, one at Mugello, and one at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City – to complete the development work on the compounds themselves. The final compound specifications are expected to be homologated by 15 December.”
Leave a Reply