Mario Isola on the challenges of Pirelli with an eye to 2026

      In 2026, when Formula 1 switches to a new generation of vehicles, tires will also become different. The width of the front ones will decrease by 25 mm, the rear ones by 30 mm, so each slick will weigh about 300 and 500 grams less, respectively. And the whole set of rubber will be 1.6 kg lighter.  

      But besides the changes in physical parameters, Pirelli specialists are also working on two other tasks in preparation for the next season. The first is related to the softest composition of C6, the second is related to rain tires.

      The C6 was originally developed for urban tracks, primarily for Monaco, where tires operate with relatively low loads, but this season such tires have already been used at the Imola classic circuit, where it debuted, and in Canada.

      At the same time, a somewhat unusual feature emerged: it turned out that it was difficult for the teams to find the optimal one in qualifying. the approach to working with C6, therefore, many riders preferred to use the more rigid C5 composition in an effort to rise to high starting positions.

      On the one hand, Pirelli tire manufacturers assure that they are generally satisfied with how the new line-up has performed, on the other, they intend to make it even more aggressive in 2026. 

      Mario Isola, director of Pirelli Motorsport: "This team fulfills its task, because especially in Canada we saw a very interesting qualification, because in terms of efficiency the C6 is very similar to the C5.

      However, there are differences in its behavior, so it was not easy for the teams to fully understand the features of the C6, whereas they know the C5 much better. On the C5 tires, the riders drive more confidently, but the C6 is still a little better in terms of efficiency.

      In the future, I would like to achieve a greater speed difference between C6 and C5. Now it is about two tenths, and we need to bring it up to at least half a second. In general, we want this squad to become even more aggressive in terms of the level of degradation, so that tactics will become more diverse next year. We are currently working with the C6 with this goal in mind.

      " One of the most difficult problems faced by tire manufacturers after the transition from Formula 1 to the current generation of cars is related to the effectiveness of rain tires 

      Formula 1 rules require that teams have two types of tires at their disposal in rainy conditions – intermediate and heavy rain tires, but teams usually try not to use the latter. The problem is that when there is so much water on the asphalt that it is necessary to switch to Extreme Wet, the spray plume that the wheels of the cars raise impairs visibility so much that the session has to be stopped.

      Therefore, Pirelli is working to ensure that such tires can be used more widely in 2026, and not only in situations where the peloton is driving slowly along the track behind a safety car.

      After recent tire tests in Fiorano, Mario Isola said that Pirelli's plan is to bring the optimal moment for switching to tires for heavy rain closer.: 

      "I think we have already achieved an improvement in the situation. We have already more or less decided on the intermediate tires, and now we have to evaluate some new solutions related to Extreme Wet, as we are trying to change the moment of transition to such tires compared to what we have now.

      We want to make heavy rain tires more versatile, so that they are suitable not only for riding behind a safety car, but they should also be suitable for racing.

      We understand that in the case of them, the main problem is in any case related to visibility, and we will not solve it, but we are trying to ensure that it is possible to switch to such tires a little earlier."