Formula 1 News: Ferrari And McLaren Conclude Pirelli Tire Testing
The Pirelli Formula 1 tire testing has concluded at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc ended up with the fastest lap time over 3 days, topping his teammate Lewis Hamilton by almost 2-seconds as testing for Pirelli’s 2026 F1 tires continues.
The 2026 technical regulations will result in smaller and lighter cars, as well as narrower tires with smaller diameters, making this test crucial to see how the cars and tires would perform under racing conditions.
Pirelli has been testing prototype tires early in 2025, and McLaren completed a two-day testing stint at Circuit Paul Richard before the latest tests in Barcelona. They specifically tested the intermediate and wet tires.
While the Barcelona track often takes center stage for testing, there are several other iconic tracks that will test the tire’s performance in the upcoming season.
Although testing happens behind closed doors, it provides early insights into how drivers are performing under pressure. This information can be used by fans of F1 who enjoy wagering on the sport across the US.
If you’re asking yourself “Can you bet online in Nevada before the Las Vegas Grand Prix?”, the answer is yes, and many platforms offer fans the chance to engage with the sport through legal betting. You can even wager which tire compounds will be used.
The testing was conducted with modified cars that are as close as possible to the 2026 regulations. Ferrari’s drivers shared an SF-24, while Lando was driving an adapted MCL60 from 2023.
The latest Pirelli test was also the first time Hamilton was back on track after crashing into the barriers at the same track in the last week of January. This crash had a negative impact on Ferrari’s mileage, and Leclerc could also not get in the car as planned while it was being repaired.
The latest testing program focused on dry tires or slicks. According to a Pirelli press release, “specifically being tested were various combinations of construction and compound, the latter from the hardest end of the range, from the C1 to the C3, as they are well suited to the Spanish track which is particularly demanding on the tires.”
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri from McLaren were also part of the Barcelona testing. The drivers completed a total of 332 laps, of which Norris completed 159 and Hamilton and Leclerc did 87 and 86 laps respectively on the Tuesday, with Norris setting the fastest lap time.
Wednesday saw Piastri take the wheel, completing 152 laps while the Ferrari drivers completed 74 laps each. Pirelli was able to gather data over 1,828 miles over the course of the testing days.
At the end of the test period, Leclerc clocked the fastest time overall, getting a time of 1m14.971s. Of course, this fast pace is not of any significance, as each team took a different approach to the test.
Wednesday Pirelli Barcelona Test Times
1. Charles Leclerc 1m14.971s (74 laps)
2. Oscar Piastri 1m15.815s (152 laps)
3. Lewis Hamilton 1m16.759 (74 laps)
Mario Isola, Pirelli’s director, said of the two-day test: “It was a very useful session, particularly when it came to providing a comparison between the different constructions for next season, as well as experimenting with some compounds from the harder end of the range.” The Barcelona track is known to demand a lot from the ties, making it the perfect testing circuit.
Tire testing will continue in mid-February, when Alpine, McLaren, and Mercedes will take to the tracks. There will also be one final test in Bahrain early in March, with Alpine and Williams set to try out the 2026 tires.