Wet-weather tests continue at Suzuka
The Japanese Grand Prix may be over, but Suzuka continued to serve as the stage for Formula 1 cars during Pirelli’s tire tests. On the first day, with the track soaked by heavy rain, the Italian tire manufacturer, exclusive supplier to the F1 grid, was able to test wet-weather compounds, including both Cinturato Intermediate and Full Wet tires designed for extreme wet conditions.
Red Bull and Racing Bulls lead the first day
The first day of testing saw two teams from the Red Bull family take the spotlight. Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls ran their respective cars with drivers Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson, testing different Full Wet options in the morning session. These new compounds featured tread patterns different from those homologated for the 2026 season. In the afternoon, the teams focused on Intermediates as the track gradually dried, continuing Pirelli’s objective to further develop these tires with the hope of potentially introducing them in 2027 if deemed ready to replace the current two wet-weather compounds.
Driver performance and lap counts
Yesterday, Hadjar completed 69 laps for a total of 401 kilometers, while Lawson completed 65 laps, totaling 377 kilometers. Isack Hadjar set the fastest time of the day with Intermediates during the afternoon session, posting 1:45.510. Lawson also recorded his best lap on the same tire, in 1:48.025.
Lindblad crashes during testing
Today, Red Bull and Racing Bulls continued work on Pirelli tires at Suzuka. The track remained wet, so the teams continued using wet-weather tires. Notably, Arvid Lindblad, who replaced Lawson in the Racing Bulls VCARB03, suffered an off-track incident at Degner 2 (turn 9), damaging the front of his car, still in the special livery used during Sunday’s Grand Prix. Lindblad remained on track and had to wait for a marshal’s car to return to the pits. The VCARB03 was transported back to pit lane on a flatbed. Fortunately, Arvid Lindblad emerged from the crash uninjured.
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