Mario Isola outlined all the information gathered by the teams and by Pirelli after the conclusion of the Abu Dhabi test. The final day of on-track running in 2025 has just ended at the Yas Marina Circuit, closing the season and shifting Formula 1’s focus entirely to next year. With the 2026 rule revolution approaching, the teams used this post-season session to test Pirelli’s new tyre constructions and to collect valuable data on specifications that will appear on next year’s cars.
Several teams, including Mercedes and Ferrari, explored active aerodynamics by running experimental devices on the front wing to simulate next-generation solutions. Other teams that did not use these test devices were required to run with a speed limiter set at 300 km/h. This allowed them to gather more representative information about the behaviour of their 2026 mule cars.
The main race drivers took part using mule cars built to reproduce the expected characteristics of the 2026 machinery that will debut during pre-season testing in Barcelona at the end of January. Rookies followed a different program: the young drivers completed their running in the 2025 cars. Each team had to field a line-up that included at least one rookie and at least one full-time driver in the mule car to ensure consistent data collection.
The test overview
The mule cars ran with one set of the C2 compound and three sets each of the C3, C4, and C5 tyres. The C1 compound was excluded because it provides no useful performance at this circuit, while the C6 compound will no longer be brought next season. Teams were not given any mandatory run plan: each was free to manage its own program without limitations.
In terms of lap times—while they hold limited significance in this context—Kimi Antonelli was the fastest driver of the day and also completed the highest mileage with 157 laps. Altogether, the cars accumulated 2,648 laps, corresponding to 13,984 kilometres. This provided a substantial dataset on the behaviour of the 2026 tyres, which differ significantly from the current versions in structure and performance characteristics.
Mario Isola on the work completed
Pirelli’s Motorsport Director, Mario Isola, summarised the purpose of the Abu Dhabi test, saying: “The test day was an excellent opportunity for all the teams to try the final 2026 tyres, and the compounds will be formally confirmed next Monday.”
Mario Isola emphasised that this session represented the conclusion of a broader development process: “During the development tests organised by Pirelli throughout the season, the teams individually tested several prototype versions at different stages of development, from construction-only variants to multiple compound options. This is the first time they have had the entire tyre range available on track, giving them the opportunity to understand the characteristics of the new tyres in a much deeper way.”
The Italian manufacturer gathered several important insights ahead of next season: “For our engineers, the contribution of this session is fundamental to confirming the performance differences between the compounds and their degradation levels, which have been the main focus of our work this year. The analysis of the tyres, which now leave a smaller footprint on the asphalt, also allowed us to assess their tendency to suffer from graining and overheating. These are two effects that risk becoming more pronounced due to the reduced contact patch.”
With the full tyre range tested under the same conditions, Pirelli and the teams now possess a much clearer understanding of how the 2026 tyres behave, how they generate heat, and how they interact with the revised aerodynamic concepts. This information will be crucial as teams begin final preparations for the start of a radically different Formula 1 era.
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