Pirelli tyre selections for Barcelona tests: Ferrari and Red Bull take bold strategies. Pirelli has confirmed the tyre choices for the 2026 Barcelona F1 tests.

F1 | Barcelona tests: teams pick Pirelli tyres with “extreme” strategies for Ferrari and Red Bull

The Barcelona F1 tests are approaching, and Pirelli has confirmed the tyre selections made by the teams: Ferrari and Red Bull are hitting the track with particularly “extreme” choices. Starting Monday, 26 January, the teams will be in Spain for a collective shakedown. Each team has a total of five days available, from which they can select three to complete their testing programs.

The winter break is now behind us, and the pre-season of Formula 1 will begin in just a few hours. The Barcelona shakedown marks the start of the season, ahead of the double testing session in Bahrain. It is an important opportunity to gather initial data and evaluate the new-generation cars. Some teams will skip the Spanish tests entirely: Williams, for example, will only appear in Sakhir.

It is worth remembering that the main objective will not be pure performance. Controversial laps that generate debate among fans and enthusiasts are expected, but it will be nearly impossible to establish a provisional performance ranking. The focus will be on the Power Units, particularly those of Mercedes and Red Bull, which will be closely observed by rivals and the FIA.

Pirelli tyres: the teams’ choices

For the Barcelona tests, Pirelli has made five compounds available to the teams: C1 (hard, white band), C2 (medium, yellow band), C3 (soft, red band), Intermediates (green band), and Wets (blue band). Each team will receive 25 sets of tyres, including at least one set of Intermediates and one set of Wets.

Ferrari has gone heavily for the medium tyres, requesting 12 sets of yellow-banded tyres, along with 4 hard sets and 3 soft sets, plus 4 Intermediates and 2 Wets. Red Bull has taken an even more extreme approach, selecting 18 sets of soft tyres, 1 medium, 4 Intermediates, and 2 Wets. Mercedes, on the other hand, has opted for 8 sets of hard tyres and 12 sets of softs, with no medium sets at all, making their selection particularly unusual.

These tyre choices suggest that teams are already thinking strategically about data collection, durability tests, and the behaviour of their new cars on different compounds, setting the stage for an intriguing start to the 2026 Formula 1 season.