Pirelli brings F1 back to the Nurburgring: Critical development days for Mercedes and McLaren. Formula 1 returns to Germany for the first time since 2020.

A special test

Formula 1 is returning to Germany, at the Nurburgring. No, this is not a new championship round to compensate for the cancelled Bahrain and Saudi Arabian races, nor an attempt to curry favor with Max Verstappen, who now seems to spend almost as much time at the historic German track as at home. This is simply a Pirelli-organized test with McLaren and Mercedes scheduled for April 14-15, taking place on the Nurburgring in its modern F1 configuration, not on the old Nordschleife beloved by the four-time world champion of the Red Bull team.

Still, this is significant news, as these two days of testing will mark the first return of Formula 1 cars to the iconic German circuit since the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix. That season, heavily affected by the Covid pandemic, saw the calendar open the doors to several historic European tracks to partly compensate for the impossibility of traveling outside Europe to America and Asia.

McLaren and Mercedes on track

The test session involving the current Constructors’ Champion and the team considered a favorite to inherit the crown this season is part of Pirelli’s seasonal testing program. The focus—weather permitting—will likely be on dry-weather tire compounds, following recent wet-weather tests conducted by Red Bull and Racing Bulls at Suzuka. Ferrari will conduct its own wet tire-specific tests on April 9-10 at the Fiorano circuit. With travel to Bahrain currently impossible due to conflicts in the Middle East, Pirelli considers the Nurburgring track ideal for collecting useful data.

The return of Formula 1 to the Nurburgring provides a fascinating subplot to a 2026 season that has been heavily reshaped by external geopolitical events. While these sessions are strictly for tire development, the presence of the sport’s top teams at such a historic venue serves as a reminder of the track’s enduring relevance to modern engineering. For McLaren and Mercedes, these two days in Germany represent a crucial opportunity to influence the direction of Pirelli’s future tires while maintaining their competitive edge during the spring hiatus. Fans of the sport will be watching closely to see how the SF-26 and the McLaren handle the challenging German curves, even if the lap times remain a closely guarded secret.