Formulation 1’s official tyre provider has warned it will likely be “not possible” to construct mule vehicles to check the game’s new guidelines for 2026.
Pirelli must develop a brand new vary for the season after subsequent, when F1 will change to narrower entrance and rear wheels. It’s a part of a drastic overhaul of the technical laws during which new energy models might be launched and F1 will permit nice use of lively aerodynamics.
Beforehand Pirelli has been capable of put together for adjustments in tyre dimension utilizing ‘mule vehicles’ tailored by the groups (pictured above) to simulate the forthcoming new guidelines. Nonetheless Pirelli’s motorsport director Mario Isola advised RaceFans the character of F1’s 2026 laws will largely forestall that.
“It’s not possible, I might say, to create a mule automotive with related traits,” mentioned Isola. “We is not going to have smaller vehicles. We will avoid wasting weight – as a substitute of doing lengthy runs with full tanks you possibly can, scale back the extent of gas simply to simulate the load. However for the remainder, it’s not possible since you don’t have the lively aerodynamics.”
Beneath the 2026 guidelines, drivers will be capable to change to a low-downforce mode on straights, then change again to most downforce when cornering.
The 2026 guidelines would be the third time in 10 years F1 has modified its tyre format. Wider rubber was launched in 2017, and two years in the past F1 switched from 13-inch wheels to 18 inches.
On these events groups have been capable of produce mule vehicles which approximated the accompanying guidelines adjustments. Isola mentioned Pirelli must rely closely on simulation information to develop its 2026 tyres till the primary vehicles arrive firstly of the season.
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“This can be a related state of affairs we confronted with the mule vehicles after we have been growing the 18-inch tyre, for instance, or throughout 2016 after we have been growing the broader tyre for 2017, additionally in that case we had mule vehicles that weren’t totally consultant.
“So what’s vital for us is to work in parallel with the digital mannequin and the bodily mannequin. We attempt to perceive that which is the correlation between the 2 as a way to have exams on-track which might be as a lot as potential consultant of what we are going to discover in 2026, understanding that it’s going to by no means be 100% consultant.”
“For the second, we now have simulations which might be coming from the FIA, not but from the groups,” he added. “However within the within the normal strategy of growth we are going to obtain additionally simulations from the ten groups and we are able to perceive which is the overall concept of the efficiency estimated for 2026.”
One other change Pirelli has to deal with is the elevated electrical energy output of the hybrid engines. The FIA estimates whole energy will enhance by round 10% to 1,100bhp. As extra of that is being generated electrically, the torque demand on the rear axle is predicted to rise considerably.
“We nonetheless don’t have numbers for that, we’re working to get simulations which might be telling us all these numbers,” mentioned Isola. “We’d like these numbers to characterise the stress on tyres after which design the tyre.”
Pirelli didn’t be a part of the discussions round F1’s new laws till October final yr, after it agreed an extension to its present tyre provide contract. It pushed in opposition to a transfer to smaller, 16-inch wheels, which the FIA desired to assist scale back automotive weight, as Pirelli feared that may hurt automotive efficiency an excessive amount of.
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“The 16-inch tyre that was estimated firstly of the method was not the proper dimension, in our opinion, if we wish to hold it the efficiency of the automotive much like what we now have now,” Isola mentioned.
“If you wish to decelerate the vehicles, scale back the hundreds, scale back the velocity, you possibly can go down with the dimensions. But when we wish to hold the same stage of efficiency, we can’t go on this course, it’s an excessive amount of. Small tyres like this don’t have the loading capability that’s required for these quick vehicles and heavy vertical load that you simply put into the tyres at a excessive velocity.
“We have now additionally the lively aerodynamics that’s altering the configuration, with the low downforce and the excessive downforce. So in cornering we now have excessive downforce and also you push rather a lot the tyres on the bottom. On the straight, you might have decrease downforce however a lot greater velocity. That has a distinct influence on the integrity of the tyre.
“So contemplating all these components we got here again to the FIA with a proposal of a dimension that’s an 18-inch, barely smaller, however with the traits we consider are guaranteeing that the efficiency is consistent with the expectations.”
He identified that the projections of how a lot downforce vehicles would create beneath the brand new guidelines modified considerably whereas the laws have been being crafted.
“In the intervening time, after we have been discussing that, additionally the estimation modified. So from an preliminary estimation the place the lack of downforce was fairly vital, we obtained simulations the place the lack of downforce is just not so huge.
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“So that is one other factor that we thought of and we determined to go together with this proposal, understanding that the ultimate goal is to have lighter vehicles to save lots of weight. So we wish to do our half in that, however not with a tyre that then is just not in a position to deal with the extent of stress that’s predicted for 2026.”
Pirelli plans to conduct its first check of the narrower prototype tyres for 2026 in September, with Aston Martin.
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