Formula 1 News: Pirelli Agree to Reduce Tyre Sizes for 2026 Season
In a bid to make Formula 1 cars smaller and lighter, Pirelli has agreed to reduce the front tyre width by 25mm and the rear tyre width by 30mm, as part of the sport’s technical changes for the 2026 season. The tyres themselves will also become smaller in diameter, shrinking from the current 720mm to 705-710mm, although F1 will still utilize 18-inch wheels.
FIA’s Expectations on Grip
Despite the reduced tyre sizes, the FIA doesn’t anticipate Pirelli’s new tyres to be significantly down on grip compared to their current product. According to the FIA’s single-seater technical director, Jan Monchaux, “We are not expecting a significant difference from the changes being done on the tyres with respect to general mechanical grip. It might be a slight reduction because the tyres are smaller, but it’s not a departure which is a source of real concern for us.“
Discussions on Further Reductions
Initially, there were discussions to reduce tyre and wheel sizes even further, including a potential switch to 16-inch rims. However, the FIA and Pirelli agreed that it would be unwise to introduce another variable amidst an already complex set of technical changes. Monchaux explained, “We don’t want the tyres to be a source of concern early 2026, and with these new power units, which in the traction phase will have a massive amount of power, we simply were a little bit nervous at going much smaller.“
Pirelli’s Perspective
Pirelli’s motorsport director, Mario Isola, believes that staying with 18-inch tyres will give the Italian tyre manufacturer a better chance to tackle tyre overheating, a common criticism of its current F1 rubber. “We proposed the narrower 18-inch tyre to save some weight. In our opinion, it’s a good compromise between saving weight and a tyre that has characteristics that are required in 2026,” Isola said.
Weight Reduction and Testing Challenges
The weight saved from the smaller tyres should amount to four to five kilogrammes, contributing to the FIA’s ambitious target to reduce the car weight by 30kg. FIA single-seater director, Nikolas Tombazis, has promised Pirelli “increased opportunities” to test for 2026.
Pirelli expects to have physical prototypes ready for testing by September this year, but it will only be able to try those out on current era cars in low-downforce trim, which derive their aerodynamic loads in a very different way than the 2026 cars and don’t feature active aerodynamics. Isola acknowledged, “We will have mule cars, but they will be bigger, heavier, without any active aerodynamics and with downforce that is coming from a different concept.“
Despite these challenges, Pirelli remains confident in its ability to deliver suitable tyres for the 2026 season. Isola concluded, “It’s not something new, honestly. It was the same thing with the other big rule changes we had; we do our best to make the best tyre for the future as we did in the past.“
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