One and a half Grand Prix: Pirelli concluded the second day of testing at Magny-Cours, partially recovering the work program that Bicocca’s engineers had planned for developing the 2026 wet tires after a technical issue had long halted the Alpine yesterday.
Today as well, the A523, which the Enstone team has converted into a “mule car” to use prototype rain tires in the dimensions set for 2026 (18-inch rims but with a smaller diameter and width compared to today), was driven by Jack Doohan, the young Australian who will join Pierre Gasly in the blue team next year.
Jack covered a distance equivalent to 106 laps, the fastest in a time of 1’27”352, all on an artificially wet track. The work focused on testing full wet prototypes designed for the agile single-seaters we will see in 2026, when the new technical regulations will introduce lighter, shorter, and narrower cars. A couple of runs were also dedicated to intermediate tires to assess the crossover from one type of rain tire to the other.
This was the third and final testing session—each lasting two days—that Pirelli conducted this year in preparation for the 2026 Formula 1 season. The two previous sessions, held in Barcelona and Mugello, were dedicated to dry tires.
Testing on this front will resume in 2025, while on Tuesday, December 10, at the Yas Marina circuit, following the Abu Dhabi GP, a collective testing day is scheduled to allow teams to try the finalized version of slick tires approved for the next championship. These tires have been designed to reduce overheating, enabling drivers to push harder during race stints.
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