Pirelli back on track in Barcelona for 2026 tyre testing

A new Pirelli test session focussed on tyres for 2026 got underway today.

Working with Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team, the Pirelli engineers ran comparisons of several constructions and compounds of dry weather tyres.

As the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit is particularly demanding on tyres, the work centred specifically on the harder compounds in the range.

At the wheel of the Mercedes was George Russell, while Isack Hadjar drove the Racing Bulls, both of them having secured good results in Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix. They were driving mule cars based on their respective teams’ 2024 cars.

By the end of the day, the Englishman had completed 136 laps, the quickest in 1’16”920, while the Frenchman did 146 laps, the best being a 1’18”334.

Mercedes will continue testing tomorrow, this time with Andrea Kimi Antonelli, joined by Oracle Red Bull Racing and their Japanese driver, Yuki Tsunoda.