Ferrari and Pirelli carried out a test at Fiorano to define the rain tyres ahead of 2026. The intermediate is now essentially finalised, while the focus is on the full wet, with the goal of making it more versatile and usable, also by repositioning the crossover point between the two types of tyres. It won’t solve the visibility issue, but it will make the tyre more effective.
After the Canadian Grand Prix, Ferrari returned to action a few days ago at the Fiorano circuit for a private test session with Pirelli, focused on the development of tyres set to debut in 2026—the year that will mark the beginning of a new technical cycle in Formula 1.
The cars will be significantly redesigned, not only due to the introduction of new power units but also because they will be shorter and lighter. With this in mind, Pirelli has also contributed by developing lighter and narrower tyres. As usual, the Milan-based manufacturer has a number of test days throughout the season to evaluate the tyres intended for the following year’s championship.
Since the end of last year, Pirelli’s efforts have been entirely focused on developing the 2026 tyres. The most recent session, in chronological order, was the one at Fiorano, carried out with Ferrari and dedicated exclusively to wet tyres, taking advantage of the irrigation system on the track owned by the Prancing Horse.
Opportunities to test rain tyres are quite limited, as they depend on both weather conditions and the availability of suitable facilities. Where artificial irrigation exists—such as at Fiorano—running is more consistent; elsewhere, tankers are used to wet the track. Despite the heat reducing ideal conditions for the test, the data collected proved valuable.
The development of the intermediate tyre is now in its final phase, and the test in Emilia-Romagna provided useful confirmation following previous trials carried out with Mercedes at Silverstone a few weeks ago. However, the session with the Maranello team was particularly important in another respect: validating new solutions for the full wet tyre.
Even though the intermediate is the most commonly used tyre in rainy conditions—and therefore Pirelli’s main priority—the full wet is also undergoing a significant revision process. The Italian manufacturer aims to create a more versatile tyre, one that overheats less quickly, especially when the track begins to dry, and is genuinely usable even in heavy rain.
The main focus of the test with Ferrari was precisely to evaluate new solutions to improve the full wet’s competitiveness. In particular, attention was given to the so-called “crossover” point—the ideal moment for switching between full wets and intermediates, and vice versa.
It’s no secret that many drivers have repeatedly criticised the full wet’s limited effectiveness compared to the intermediate, often preferring to switch early to the green-striped tyre, which offers better grip. This significantly narrows the full wet’s actual operating window, reducing its use.
Pirelli’s stated goal is to widen this window, making the full wet a genuinely competitive alternative and bringing its crossover point closer to that of the intermediate. Naturally, this won’t solve the most critical problem in heavy rain—poor visibility, which often leads to race suspensions—but the aim is to give teams more strategic options by making it a more viable tyre.
“I believe we are in a fairly good situation now. The intermediate tyre was already more or less defined [before the Fiorano test]. We need to validate some new solutions for the extreme wet tyre,” explained Pirelli’s Motorsport Director during a media briefing, before explaining that the goal is to reposition the crossover point, just as it’s done with slicks, which have a defined performance delta between compounds.
“In particular, we are trying to identify a different crossover point from the current one, so as to make the full wet more usable—not just behind the Safety Car but also as a true race tyre. We know that the real limitation of the full wet tyre remains visibility, and that’s something that can’t be solved. But today, we can say that both the intermediate and the full wet are in a good phase of development.”
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