Pirelli confirms opening F1 compounds in 2026
16th December 2025Pirelli has confirmed the opening tyre compounds for the Formula 1 world championship in 2026, which will be used across the opening three race weekends.
Feature image credit: Pirelli
Following the conclusion of the 2025 F1 season, after the post-season test in Abu Dhabi last week, Pirelli has confirmed which tyre compounds will be in use across the opening races.
It follows the tyre manufacturer’s deadline date to formally homologate the range of compounds to be used next season.
Like last season, these tyre ranges will range from the C1 and up to the C5 compound tyres, being the hardest to softest, respectively.
The opening races of the season will see the sport venture to Australia and China as F1’s first double header of the year, ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix at the end of March.
For the Australian Grand Prix, the tyre supplier will bring their softest tyres with the C3, C4 and C5 allocation for the Melbourne race.
In Shanghai, for the Chinese GP, and the first sprint race of the season, Pirelli is set to go a step harder and will bring the C2, C3 and C4 tyres.
Finally, the Japanese GP will see the hardest of Pirelli’s tyre compounds for the first time in 2026 with the Italian manufacturer nominating the C1, C2 and C3.
Pirelli has said that using all five compounds will help them with their nominations later on in the year. In their statement, they said:
“The use of all five slick compounds during the opening races will allow Pirelli to profoundly evaluate the performance differences between all the tyres in the heat of competition, as well as their resistance to graining and overheating – helping to inform the nominations for the European races.”
Teams and drivers will be able to get used to the new Pirelli rubber on their new cars as the sport prepares for technical and power unit changes in 2026.
The sport will host a behind-closed-doors test in Barcelona, on January 26-30, before they head to the middle east for two separate tests in Bahrain, on February 11-13 and February 18-20.
The opening round of the season will get underway on March 6-8, 2026, in Melbourne.
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