Pirelli drop F1 tyre in official FIA change for 2026 season

Pirelli softs on Alonso's Aston Martin — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 2026

Pirelli drop F1 tyre in official FIA change for 2026 season

Warning: F1 Tyre chat ahead...

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Thursday 5 February 2026 10:52

A major change from Pirelli is being introduced following the new FIA rules for the 2026 F1 season.

One of the headline grabbing features of the 2026 F1 cars is their decreased size, where they will be lighter by 30kg, the wheelbase will be reduced by 20cm and the car width will be reduced by 10cm.

Therefore, the wheels themselves will undergo a slight reduction, as confirmed by the FIA's F1 Senior Permanent Scrutineer Kris Degroot.

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In an explainer for social media, Degroot educated fans about the 2026 tyres and explained their reduced side, and that Pirelli have abandoned a compound for 2026.

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Farewell, C6

The softest tyre compound, the C6, will be abandoned in 2026 and instead the range of Pirelli tyres will go from C1 to C5.

"Fundamentally the tyres are smaller this year," Degroot explained.

"The front's been reduced in width by 25mm and diameter by 15mm. Rears are narrower by 30mm and diameter by 10mm. However, we retain the 18" wheel rim.

"Also now, we have one less compound available. So instead of there being C1 to C6, we've dropped the C6, which is the softest compound. We go from C1 to C5.

"Furthermore, to the 18" wheel rim, we no longer have a sole supply. Each team can choose their wheel rim manufacturer, which will throw up specific designs for cars. Makes our life a little more difficult, so we'll see what we get as the tests go on.

"Each wheel rim will be different. There will be a lot more aero, bolt-ons, and teams will decide throughout the course of the test what works for them. We have two more tests after this, so by the time we get to Melbourne we'll be in good shape."

F1 FIA 2026 regulations Pirelli