Pirelli hard at work, reveal compounds for first three 2026 F1 races

The announcement comes after a post season test held following the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as Pirelli also revealed a new look tyre for the 2026 regulations.

The selections mirror the strategic spread seen in 2025, running from the hardest to the softest compounds and providing an early competitive test for Pirelli’s new generation of tyres under the revised technical regulations.

The season will open in Melbourne from 6 to 8 March, where teams will have access to the C3, C4, and C5 compounds.

The same combination in 2024 led to a two stop race strategy that used all three slicks. Conditions were very different at the start of 2025, when variable weather meant intermediates played a central role in a race split into three distinct phases, with slick tyres only viable during the middle stint of the Grand Prix.

The second round of the season takes place in Shanghai from 13 to 16 March, with Pirelli nominating the mid range C2, C3, and C4 compounds.

The Chinese Grand Prix returned this year on a completely resurfaced 5.451 kilometre circuit, forcing teams to rapidly adapt to new asphalt characteristics.

Tyre demands at the Shanghai International Circuit are considered average across the season, although the left hand side of the car is subjected to greater wear due to the track layout.

The 2026 event will again host the first sprint weekend of the year.

Suzuka, scheduled for 27 to 29 March, completes the opening triple header and brings the most demanding tyre challenge of the three venues.

Pirelli has selected its hardest compounds, C1, C2, and C3, reflecting the circuit’s high energy load and sustained lateral forces.

In 2025, low track temperatures and improved resistance to graining allowed drivers to extend their hard and medium stints and complete the race with a single stop.

The picture was very different in 2024, when higher thermal degradation pushed strategies towards at least two pit stops.

Drivers will arrive in Australia after an extensive pre season testing schedule designed to support the introduction of the new technical regulations. The first test will run from 26 to 30 January in Barcelona behind closed doors and will mark the first time the 2026 tyres are used on the new generation of Formula 1 cars. Each team will select 3 days of running from the 5 available.

Two further official tests will follow in Bahrain, taking place from 11 to 13 February and again from 18 to 20 February. This prolonged build up is intended to give teams sufficient time to understand cars that have been designed from a clean sheet, while also allowing Pirelli to gather comprehensive data.

The use of all five slick compounds across the opening races will enable Pirelli to closely evaluate performance differentials, resistance to graining, and susceptibility to overheating in full race conditions. That data will play a key role in shaping compound nominations for the early European rounds as the 2026 season develops.