Pirelli 2027 wet tyre test: Pierre Gasly completes over 900km with Alpine at Magny-Cours. Alpine and Pierre Gasly complete intensive Pirelli 2027 wet tyre testing at Magny-Cours.

The second wet-weather development session for the 2027 Full Wet and Intermediate tyres concluded on Thursday at the French circuit, with Alpine completing an intensive testing programme

Pirelli completed a two-day Formula 1 test session at Magny-Cours on Thursday, continuing development work on its 2027 wet-weather tyre range with Alpine’s A526 and Pierre Gasly behind the wheel.

The French circuit, absent from the Formula 1 calendar since 2008, proved ideal for this type of testing thanks to its fully soaked surface conditions, allowing Pirelli engineers to carry out repeatable runs and collect consistent data for analysis.

Pierre Gasly completed 103 laps on Thursday alone, covering 454 kilometres. Across the full two-day programme, the French driver logged more than 900 kilometres, effectively the equivalent of three Formula 1 Grands Prix.

The morning session focused on multiple versions of the Cinturato Full Wet tyre, while the afternoon was dedicated to testing several Intermediate tyre variants.

The fastest lap recorded on Intermediate tyres was a 1:31.457. During the day, track temperatures reached 27 degrees Celsius, while ambient temperatures remained around 19 degrees.

Pirelli’s next tyre development programme

The next stage of Pirelli’s Formula 1 tyre development programme will take place immediately after the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix weekend, with testing scheduled for Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 June at the same circuit. That session will focus on slick tyre development.

Pirelli’s current schedule also includes another wet-weather test at Magny-Cours later this year, and it remains possible that the two lost testing days in Bahrain, which were disrupted due to the conflict in the Persian Gulf, could be recovered elsewhere in the calendar.

Fernando Alonso’s Miami criticism revisited

During the Miami Grand Prix weekend, when rain had threatened to disrupt proceedings in Florida, Fernando Alonso had sharply criticised Ferrari over what he perceived to be an advantage gained from the team’s two-day Fiorano running with Lewis Hamilton in the SF-26 using Full Wet and Intermediate tyres.

The Ferrari test had allowed the team to gather potentially useful insights into how the car behaved in wet conditions, leading Alonso to question the fairness of the situation. However, the controversy quickly faded once the expected rain never materialised during the race weekend.

What the Spanish driver may not have fully considered is how the FIA coordinates tyre development programmes with the sole supplier as part of preparations for future seasons.

Ferrari was far from the only team involved in wet-weather tyre evaluation. Similar sessions had already taken place at Suzuka with Red Bull and Racing Bulls, while Mercedes and McLaren also had opportunities to assess wet tyres at the Nürburgring when sudden rain showers affected their respective testing programmes.