Why F1 tyres will look different for Bahrain testing

Pirelli, Abu Dhabi, 2023, generic — Photo: © IMAGO

Pre-Season Testing

Why F1 tyres will look different for Bahrain testing

Testing starts in Bahrain on Wednesday

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Wednesday 11 February 2026 15:55

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Everyone ready for some good old-fashioned F1 tyre watching? Us too!

As we know, at any standard race weekend, there are three compounds of dry tyres available, selected in advance from the C1-5 range that Pirelli offers. The softest at any given weekend have red sidewalls, the ones in the middle are yellow, and the hardest are white.

So what happens when you're doing pre-season testing and you suddenly have all five compounds of tyre to choose from? That's right, things get a bit funky.

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In pre-season testing in Bahrain this month, the two hardest compounds (C1 and C2) will both have white sidewalls, but the C1s will also feature a chequered flag design. Next come the yellow C3 and C4s, with the C3s featuring that same chequered flag (but this time in yellow). Finally, alone in red, the C5. Don't worry though – they'll also have the chequered flag.

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For the first three days of running, only the C1-3 tyres will be available to the teams, keeping identification fairly simple. However, at the second test from 18-20th February, all five compounds will be available to the teams, who can also use sets carried over from this week's first test.

A Pirelli statement makes things as clear as day, explaining: “In order to facilitate identifying the different compounds during these two test sessions, the logo on the C1 and C2 will be white, those on the C3 and C4 yellow, while the softest C5 will be red.

"In addition, the sidewall on the C1, C3 and C5 will feature a chequered flag in the banding, while the C2 and C4 will only bear the Pirelli and P Zero logos, with no additional markings.

“Over the next three days, when only the first three slicks in the range will be used, there will therefore be two with white markings and one with yellow. The C1 and C2 can be identified because the latter will not have any banding, and the C3 will have yellow marking and banding. This identification system is only in use for these tests and will not be seen on race weekends.”

Got it? Lovely stuff.

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