Pirelli unveils tyre lineup for first three races of 2026 F1 season

Pirelli has announced the tyre compounds for the first three rounds of the 2026 season: the Australian Grand Prix, the Chinese Grand Prix, and the Japanese Grand Prix.

For the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, the softest trio — C3, C4, and C5 — will be supplied. In 2024, this combination enabled a two-stop race with all three compounds in use. In 2025, however, rain affected most of the race distance, resulting in the predominant use of intermediate tyres.

In Shanghai, which will host the first sprint-format event of the season, the compounds will be shifted one step harder. Teams will have the medium trio — C2, C3, and C4 — serving as Hard, Medium, and Soft, respectively.

For the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, Pirelli will bring the hardest trio — C1, C2, and C3. In 2025, low track temperatures and high resistance to wear allowed drivers to extend stints on the Hard and Medium tyres, and the race was completed with a single pit stop. In 2024, the situation was the opposite, as thermal degradation made at least two pit stops necessary.

Teams and drivers will have the opportunity to work closely with the 2026 tyres during winter testing. The first test will take place behind closed doors in Barcelona from 26 to 30 January. Each team will run on three of the five available days, selecting those days independently.

The second and third tests will be open to spectators and will be held in Bahrain on 11–13 February and 18–20 February, respectively. This extended pre-season preparation will allow teams to better understand their cars built under the new technical regulations.

Using all slick compounds in the opening races will enable Pirelli to closely evaluate the differences between them, as well as their wear and thermal resistance under competitive conditions. The data collected will help guide tyre selections for the European rounds of the season.