George Russell opened up about the 2026 Pirelli tyres he tested in Jerez, admitting that they are ‘a bit of a challenge’ as well as ‘a step worse’.
Last month, George Russell got behind the W15, Mercedes’ 2024 car, and tested the new 2026 Pirelli tyres. After the test, he expressed his concern over the updated rubber.
The new design for the 2026 tyres reduced the size by 25mm at the front and 30mm at the back. The change in design was made to reduce drag. Russell ran the tyre on a modified mule car, with smaller wings to replicate the downforce on the new 2026 cars.
However, Mercedes aren’t the only team to have tested the 2026 tyres. McLaren and Ferrari both hit the track in Barcelona back in February. Alpine also tested alongside the Mercedes.
Pirelli praised the Barcelona test and said, “It was a very useful session, particularly when it came to providing a comparison between the various different constructions for next season, as well as experimenting with some compounds from the harder end of the range.”
Russell’s concerns
When he was asked about the test in pre-season testing, Russell admitted his doubt over the new tyres. He said, “That [the test] was a bit of a challenge compared to the wider tyres we have today,”
“It was quite a step worse with the new tyres. That is naturally the case, because they’re just much more narrow. So hopefully they will be improved over the upcoming months.”
However, Pirelli admitted they aren’t too worried over the data from teams across the testing they have carried out. Because the 2026 regulations feature such a massive change in the design of the car, even with the modified mule, results are unrepresentative.
The 2026 cars are predicted to produce an impressive 15 percent less downforce than the current cars.
Pirelli’s racing manager, Mario Isola told Autosport, “We cannot just rely on the mule cars because it won’t be sensible. We will continue to provide them a virtual model of the tyre to use in their simulators, and they come back to us with their feedback.”
“And this is the right direction we should continue in.”
Featured Image Credit: Mercedes Benz Archive
