Barcelona already has a style of 2026, with Ferrari and McLaren engaged in a Pirelli take a look at session. The objective was to judge the most recent prototype tires for the 2026 season, that are lighter and smaller in measurement.
Ferrari took to the observe with the SF-24, giving Lewis Hamilton the chance to familiarize himself with Maranello’s newest single-seater. The adoption of smaller tires required a number of modifications to the automobile, from the suspension—adjusted to accommodate the brand new tires—to aerodynamic modifications. FIA rules enable groups to make modifications to their automobiles to simulate the estimated aerodynamic load ranges for 2026.
The exams will assist Pirelli perceive how the mule automobiles behave, as groups don’t but bodily have their 2026 automobiles. Nonetheless, Pirelli won’t rely completely on the information collected, as next-generation single-seaters will bear radical technical modifications that may have an effect on their efficiency.
2026 New Tires
Pictures from the take a look at clearly spotlight the variations in comparison with the present tires. The dimensions discount stems from the necessity to lighten the carcass and scale back aerodynamic drag.
Whereas sustaining the 18-inch rims, each entrance and rear tires could have altered dimensions. The general diameter will shrink from the present 720 mm to a spread between 705 and 710 mm. The width will even lower: the entrance tire might be 25 mm narrower, whereas the rear will lose 30 mm.
Comparability between SF-24 and SF-24 Mule Automotive – Supply: f1ingenerale
Simulating the masses that the 2026 tires must face up to utilizing modified current-generation automobiles might be a problem for Pirelli. For that reason, groups have launched particular aerodynamic options to approximate the anticipated downforce ranges.
Aerodynamics
From the photographs seen in latest days, the low-downforce configuration instantly stands out—an uncommon setup for a technical circuit like Barcelona, which is understood for requiring excessive downforce ranges.
The entrance wing resembles the configuration seen in Las Vegas, one of many least demanding tracks when it comes to aerodynamic load, albeit with some modifications. On the rear, Ferrari adopted a low-downforce setup much like the one utilized in Monza. The objective was to cut back aerodynamic load by about 20% to simulate the downforce ranges anticipated for 2026.
Supply:1ingenerale
It additionally seems that DRS was extensively used, even in areas of the observe not usually designated for it throughout a race weekend, to compensate for the entrance and rear load.
Efficiency and 2026 Projections
Lap instances have been considerably slower, suggesting a efficiency drop for 2026 automobiles. Nonetheless, these information must be interpreted cautiously, as Pirelli’s sole goal was to collect helpful info for tire improvement. Drawing conclusions about future efficiency primarily based on the Barcelona information could be untimely, on condition that the exams have been performed with automobiles conceptually completely different from these that may hit the observe in a yr.
Nikolas Tombazis, FIA’s single-seater director, had predicted that regardless of the aerodynamic load discount, 2026 automobiles would nonetheless obtain lap instances much like present ones. This consequence is the results of a number of revisions to the unique 2026 rules, launched to stop a efficiency drop of as much as two seconds per lap.
Nikolas Tombazis defined: “We’ve elevated the automobile’s aerodynamic efficiency by about 50 factors of downforce, lowering the lack of load—which was initially estimated at round -40%—to roughly -15%. By way of efficiency, lap instances for the brand new automobiles might be very near present ones. This was finished as promised in June.”
What we witnessed was solely a simulation, nonetheless removed from the fact that awaits us. Solely when the brand new single-seaters take to the observe will we be capable of draw concrete conclusions.
Supply: f1ingenerale
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