George Russell has proclaimed that the brand-new Pirelli tyres as part of next year’s new Formula 1 regulations are “quite a step worse” after testing them last month.
The impending revamp to the technical rules will coincide with tyres that are 25mm narrower at the front and 30mm narrower at the rear to reduce the drag on the cars.
Several teams have conducted tests to help Pirelli gather data, using adapted mule cars with skinnier wings to simulate the decrease in downforce from next season.
However, Russell, who ran a modified Mercedes 2024-spec W15 car with the new tyres in Jerez last month, has expressed scepticism towards the rubber he tested.
“That [the test] was a bit of a challenge compared to the wider tyres we have today,” Russell told media including Motorsport Week at pre-season testing.
“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.”
Why Pirelli is not relying completely on mule car data
The 2026 cars are expected to produce 15 per cent less downforce, but the test runs have been conducted at a similar pace when accounting for the current rules.
The adapted models are therefore not wholly representative of how the tyres will run, which gives teams, and Pirelli, a skewed level of accuracy from the data they will produce.
This means that both parties will, in effect, most likely collect more accurate data from tests that will be run in teams’ respective simulators.
“We cannot just rely on the mule cars because it won’t be sensible,” Pirelli Racing Manager Mario Isola told Autosport.
“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.”
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