“Impossible” to build mule cars to test tyres for new 2026 F1 rules

Formulation 1’s official tyre provider has warned will probably be “unattainable” to construct mule automobiles to check the game’s new guidelines for 2026.

Pirelli must develop a brand new vary for the season after subsequent, when F1 will change to narrower entrance and rear wheels. It’s a part of a drastic overhaul of the technical rules wherein new energy models shall be launched and F1 will permit nice use of energetic aerodynamics.

Beforehand Pirelli has been capable of put together for adjustments in tyre dimension utilizing ‘mule automobiles’ tailored by the groups (pictured above) to simulate the forthcoming new guidelines. Nonetheless Pirelli’s motorsport director Mario Isola instructed RaceFans the character of F1’s 2026 rules will largely forestall that.

“It’s unattainable, I’d say, to create a mule automotive with related traits,” stated Isola. “We is not going to have smaller automobiles. We are able to avoid wasting weight – as an alternative of doing lengthy runs with full tanks you may, scale back the extent of gasoline simply to simulate the load. However for the remainder, it’s unattainable since you don’t have the energetic aerodynamics.”

Beneath the 2026 guidelines, drivers will be capable to change to a low-downforce mode on straights, then change again to most downforce when cornering.

The 2026 guidelines would be the third time in 10 years F1 has modified its tyre format. Wider rubber was launched in 2017, and two years in the past F1 switched from 13-inch wheels to 18 inches.

On these events groups have been capable of produce mule automobiles which approximated the accompanying guidelines adjustments. Isola stated Pirelli should rely closely on simulation information to develop its 2026 tyres till the primary automobiles arrive initially of the season.

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“It is a related state of affairs we confronted with the mule automobiles after we have been growing the 18-inch tyre, for instance, or throughout 2016 after we have been growing the broader tyre for 2017, additionally in that case we had mule automobiles that weren’t absolutely consultant.

“So what’s necessary for us is to work in parallel with the digital mannequin and the bodily mannequin. We attempt to perceive that which is the correlation between the 2 in an effort to have assessments on-track which can be as a lot as doable consultant of what we are going to discover in 2026, figuring out that it’ll by no means be 100% consultant.”

“For the second, we’ve got simulations which can be coming from the FIA, not but from the groups,” he added. “However within the within the ordinary means of improvement we are going to obtain additionally simulations from the ten groups and we are able to perceive which is the overall concept of the efficiency estimated for 2026.”

One other change Pirelli has to deal with is the elevated electrical energy output of the hybrid engines. The FIA estimates whole energy will enhance by round 10% to 1,100bhp. As extra of that is being generated electrically, the torque demand on the rear axle is anticipated to rise considerably.

“We nonetheless don’t have numbers for that, we’re working to get simulations which can be telling us all these numbers,” stated Isola. “We’d like these numbers to characterise the stress on tyres after which design the tyre.”

Pirelli didn’t be a part of the discussions round F1’s new rules till October final yr, after it agreed an extension to its present tyre provide contract. It pushed in opposition to a transfer to smaller, 16-inch wheels, which the FIA desired to assist scale back automotive weight, as Pirelli feared that might hurt automotive efficiency an excessive amount of.

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“The 16-inch tyre that was estimated initially of the method was not the suitable dimension, in our opinion, if we need to preserve it the efficiency of the automotive just like what we’ve got now,” Isola stated.

“If you wish to decelerate the automobiles, scale back the hundreds, scale back the pace, you may go down with the dimensions. But when we need to preserve an analogous stage of efficiency, we can not go on this route, it’s an excessive amount of. Small tyres like this don’t have the loading capability that’s required for these quick automobiles and heavy vertical load that you just put into the tyres at a excessive pace.

“We’ve additionally the energetic aerodynamics that’s altering the configuration, with the low downforce and the excessive downforce. So in cornering we’ve got excessive downforce and also you push rather a lot the tyres on the bottom. On the straight, you’ve decrease downforce however a lot larger pace. That has a distinct impression on the integrity of the tyre.

“So contemplating all these components we got here again to the FIA with a proposal of a dimension that’s an 18-inch, barely smaller, however with the traits we consider are guaranteeing that the efficiency is in keeping with the expectations.”

He identified that the projections of how a lot downforce automobiles would create beneath the brand new guidelines modified considerably whereas the rules have been being crafted.

“In the intervening time, after we have been discussing that, additionally the estimation modified. So from an preliminary estimation the place the lack of downforce was fairly necessary, we acquired simulations the place the lack of downforce will not be so massive.

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“So that is one other aspect that we thought of and we determined to go along with this proposal, figuring out that the ultimate goal is to have lighter automobiles to avoid wasting weight. So we need to do our half in that, however not with a tyre that then will not be ready to deal with the extent of stress that’s predicted for 2026.”

Pirelli plans to conduct its first take a look at of the narrower prototype tyres for 2026 in September, with Aston Martin.

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