There will be rain tires in Formula E in 2026.

      In 2026, Formula E will finally feature tires more suitable for rainy conditions, and this decision was made, as they say, "by popular demand" from participants in the World Electric Car Racing Championship.

      Starting this season, cars have already become all-wheel drive, the power of electric power plants is gradually increasing, and the usual all-weather Hankook tires are getting worse it copes with the task of providing the right level of grip, and on wet asphalt the problems are especially pronounced.

      Sam Bird, a McLaren driver who can already be considered a veteran of Formula E, spoke about this even before the start of the season: "As for the tires we have to drive this year, most drivers hope that the races will be held in dry weather. It's very difficult to fly them when it rains.

      I mean, it was difficult before, but now it's only gotten worse. So I also hope that we will mostly race on dry asphalt."

      Formula E is preparing to switch to fourth–generation cars, the so-called GEN4, and the introduction of "rainier" tires is timed to coincide with this event, writes RacingNews365. We reported in December 2023 that the Japanese company Bridgestone would become the new official supplier of the World Electric Car Racing Championship.

      The electric series has long been talking about the need to switch to more efficient rubber. Here, for example, is the opinion of Mitch Evans, a two-time Formula E champion and one of the most experienced drivers in the championship. He is one of the few who already has experience working with such tires in tests.

      "I know from my own experience that the experience of driving on rain tires is comparable to shock," said the Jaguar factory team driver. – You can drive faster on new tires and on dry asphalt, but the contrast is huge on wet ones.

       Although, if it rains really hard, I doubt we'll be able to race at all. I rode on new tires and just on wet asphalt, and on completely flooded with rain. Of course, they are still more designed for piloting on dry ground, they are not full-fledged rain tires." 

      At the end of 2026, the 13th season of Formula E will start, and GEN4 cars will already run on Bridgestone tires, and the teams will have two trains at their disposal - one designed for dry weather and light precipitation, and the second, called Typhoon ("typhoon"), will be used in heavy rain conditions. These are the conditions that the drivers had to cope with in Monaco, Tokyo and Shanghai this year.

      Max Gunther, driving for DS Penske, the winner of Saturday's race of the recent Chinese weekend, has no doubt that the upcoming transition of Formula E to new tires will bring relief to everyone.

      "Of course, I think this is the right decision," he said. – This is a natural step, because GEN4 machines will become much more efficient. On dry-weather tires, they will be capable of incredible speeds, and everyone will see the real potential of all-wheel-drive electric racing vehicles.

      As for the rain conditions, I think we all want to make improvements, and after switching to a new generation of cars, we will get such tires, so that's good. And although everything is on an equal footing, it's still very difficult to drive in the rain on all-weather tires, of course. 

      However, that's our job, and I still get a lot of pleasure from piloting, although I can only speak on my own behalf. But on wet asphalt, you have to act very carefully, literally "on tiptoe." Still, the races are very interesting."