Pirelli 2026 tests: Alpine and Williams complete their work in Bahrain, Mercedes to test in May. Pirelli continues to develop the compounds that will be homologated for the next season.

Towards 2026
This afternoon, a long testing session conducted by Pirelli at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain came to a close. After the three days of the official pre-season test, held from February 26 to 28, Formula 1’s Global Tyre Partner collaborated with Alpine and Williams to continue on-track development of the 2026 tires, which, as is well known, will be smaller and narrower (25 millimeters for the front tires and 30 millimeters for the rear) compared to the current ones.

After Carlos Sainz for Williams and Ryo Hirakawa for Alpine were in action yesterday, today Alexander Albon and Paul Aron took their respective mule cars – both based on the 2023 season cars: the FW45 for Williams and the A523 for Alpine.

While yesterday’s focus was solely on comparing different construction options using only one compound, today the drivers had the opportunity to test various types of compounds – from C1 to C3 – using a base construction to allow for consistent data across the different prototypes.

In ideal weather conditions, with air temperatures between 19 and 24°C and track temperatures ranging from 23 to 38°C, the Estonian driver from Alpine completed a total of 130 laps, with a best time of 1’35”407, finishing his work just after 16:30. His Thai teammate completed 120 laps with a best time of 1’35”667.

Mario Isola’s Comments
“Another very productive day in the development of the 2026 tires,” said Mario Isola, Pirelli Motorsport Director. “Almost 2,700 kilometers completed allowed us to gather a significant amount of data for the continuation of the program, and I really want to thank the drivers and teams who extended their time in Bahrain by another three days during such a busy time of the season, with less than two weeks before the first race. In Sakhir, we continued to compare different types of constructions and compounds, the latter in the harder range, given the characteristics of the track. Now, it’s up to our colleagues in R&D to analyze the information and provide useful guidance to continue improving the product for the next generation of cars.”

The next testing session for the 2026 tires is scheduled for Silverstone (UK) on May 7 and 8: Mercedes will be testing intermediate and extreme wet weather tires. The next Formula 1 event in Sakhir will take place on the weekend of April 11-13, when the 21st edition of the Bahrain Grand Prix is scheduled.