Pirelli issues warning amid preparations for 2026 F1 rules and regulations. The transition to the 2026 F1 rules and regulations may present a lot of difficulties.

New rules of the game
While Formula 1 fans enjoy one of the most balanced seasons – at least in terms of the number of different winners – of the last decade, the minds of many in the industry are already focused on 2026, when the sport will face its next significant regulatory upheaval. The cars that will emerge from this revolution will be radically different: 30 kg lighter, with downforce reduced by 30% and aerodynamic drag by 55%. The power units will have almost 300% more power from the battery and the wheelbase will decrease from a maximum of 3600 mm to 3400 mm, while the width will be reduced from 2000 mm to 1900 mm. Additionally, active aerodynamics will be introduced. The tires will also change: the width of the front tires has been reduced by 25 mm and that of the rear tires by 30 mm.

Pirelli issues warning
On this last point, however, a warning has been issued by Formula 1’s official tire supplier, Pirelli. Compared to the most recent technical regulation changes, this time there is a serious risk of not being able to conduct adequate tests in the season before the new rules are introduced. The reason is the enormous difficulty in creating hybrid mule cars that bridge the current and future regulations to facilitate the study of the transition – including its impact on the tires – as had been done in the past.

“It is impossible, I would say, to create a mule car with similar characteristics,” said Pirelli’s head of motorsport Mario Isola, in a recent interview with RaceFans. “We won’t be able to have smaller cars. We can only save some weight: instead of doing long runs with full tanks, we can try to reduce the fuel level to simulate the weight reduction. But for the rest, it’s impossible because we don’t have active aerodynamics.”

Analyzing the work Pirelli will need to do in preparing for the 2026 Formula 1 season, Mario Isola explained that Pirelli will have to rely heavily on simulation data to develop the new tires, awaiting the ‘concrete’ arrival of the new cars at the beginning of the season.

Between real and virtual
“For us, it’s important to work in parallel with the virtual model and the physical model,” added Mario Isola. “We try to understand the correlation between the two to have tests that are as representative as possible of what we will find in 2026, knowing that it will never be 100% representative. For the moment, we have simulations from the FIA, but not yet from the teams,” Pirelli’s head of motorsport concluded. “But in the development process, we will also receive simulations from the teams and will be able to understand the general idea of the estimated performance for 2026.”