Pirelli has confirmed the 2026 F1 tyre compounds for the upcoming American triple-header, with an important change in approach for Austin and Mexico City and a softer selection for São Paulo. Formula 1’s sole tyre supplier will no longer use the compound gap seen at the first two events in 2025, while the Brazilian weekend will move one step softer than last season.
The Asian triple-header that has opened the second part of the 2026 Formula 1 season concludes this weekend, but another run of three consecutive races will begin two weeks later. As shown on the 2026 Formula 1 calendar, the American sequence will feature the United States Grand Prix from 23–25 October, the Mexico City Grand Prix from 30 October–1 November and the São Paulo Grand Prix from 6–8 November.
Pirelli tyre compounds for Austin, Mexico City and São Paulo
For the opening round of the triple-header at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas, Pirelli will bring the C2 as the Hard tyre, the C3 as the Medium and the C4 as the Soft.
For the following event in Mexico, the home race of Cadillac driver Sergio Perez, the Italian manufacturer will instead move one step softer across the range. The C3 will be designated as the Hard, the C4 as the Medium and the C5 as the Soft.
Those two selections differ in one important respect from the approach used in 2025. Last season, Pirelli introduced a compound gap for the Hard tyre at both events: the C1 was selected as the Hard in Austin, while the C2 filled that role in Mexico City.
Why Austin and Mexico City will have no compound gap in 2026
The experiment did not lead teams towards the strategic outcome that might have been expected. Rather than relying more heavily on the harder compound in an attempt to extend stints and potentially eliminate a pit stop, teams made extensive use of the two softer tyres instead.
As a result, Pirelli has opted against repeating the compound gap in 2026. Austin will therefore use the consecutive C2-C3-C4 selection, while Mexico City will feature the consecutive C3-C4-C5 range.
Softer São Paulo choice could expand strategy options
São Paulo will use the same three compounds as Mexico City, with the C3 as Hard, C4 as Medium and C5 as Soft. However, that represents a selection one step softer than the range used at Interlagos in 2025.
The Hard compound saw relatively little race use last season, as teams instead favoured two-stop strategies built around extensive running on the softer tyres. Moving to the softest trio available in 2026 could broaden the range of options and create scenarios in which teams use all three compounds during the Grand Prix.
How those choices translate into stint lengths, compound usage and race strategy can be explored through the ScuderiaFans F1 Tyre & Stint Analysis, which compares tyre sequences and stint behaviour across the field.
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