F1 | Pirelli 2026 tire tests: Valtteri Bottas gathers valuable info for both Mercedes and Cadillac. Valtteri Bottas and Frederik Vesti completed Pirelli 2026 tire tests in Mexico City.

Pirelli has completed its 2026 tire preparation tests in Mexico City, with Mercedes running the W16 mule car on the high-altitude circuit. Valtteri Bottas and Frederik Vesti drove the car using the softest compounds, from C6 to C3, gathering crucial data for Mercedes as well as Bottas’ future team, Cadillac, set to debut in 2026.

During the test, Mercedes ran simulations to validate the performance of next year’s tire compounds. Tuesday, December 9, will see the final 2026 tire tests in Abu Dhabi, involving all teams during post-race collective testing. The W16 mule car in Mexico provided an opportunity for the Brackley squad to finalize its data collection on the softer compounds.

Bottas, likely driving a Mercedes for the last time before his switch to Cadillac, could assess the tires thoroughly, providing valuable feedback both to Mercedes and his future American team alongside Sergio Perez. This dual benefit was fully in line with the FIA’s intention to facilitate the entry of the eleventh team into the Formula 1 grid.

Following a similar approach to Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) the previous day, Bottas focused much of the work on the hardest compound, the C3, most commonly used during race weekends. After several qualifying simulations, preceded by a warm-up lap to bring the tires up to optimal temperature, Bottas concluded the C3 tests with a series of long runs. Similar procedures were then extended to the other compounds, analyzing lap time deltas and degradation levels compared to Bortoleto’s data from the previous day.

In the late afternoon, some tire structures were also tested through 10-lap runs. Frederik Vesti took the wheel of the W16 mule car, having participated in FP1 in Mexico City the previous weekend with Mercedes. Vesti’s fastest lap was 1’19”657 on lap 41, while Bottas set a best of 1’18”204 on lap 109. The lap times are not directly comparable due to the specific test programs conducted by each driver.

Overall, the drivers completed 161 laps, covering 693 kilometers — 112 laps by Bottas and 49 by Vesti — in track conditions similar to the previous day, with a maximum asphalt temperature of 49°C. Across the two-day testing session at the Hermanos Rodríguez circuit, a total of 1,278 kilometers were completed.