Formula 1 teams have nine hours to gather data on Pirelli’s 2026 tyres during the annual post-season test after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The running uses mule cars – ground-effect machines reworked to simulate the reduced downforce levels planned for 2026.
Teams trim wings to Monza-style settings and raise ride heights to cut aerodynamic load.
One notable detail this year is the FIA’s approval for select prototype parts, including new front-wing concepts. With DRS disappearing in 2026, active aerodynamics will take over.
Drivers will open both front and rear wings on the straights, turning the front wing into an active device for the first time.
Mercedes shows early active-aero solution
Mercedes provided an early look at this philosophy at the Yas Marina Circuit.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli drove the W16 fitted with a Straight Line Mode system designed to reduce front-wing drag on the straights.
The mechanism is still crude, with visible tubing linking the nose to actuators on the upper wing elements.
Even so, it demonstrates how the car can switch into a low-downforce configuration – an idea that will return in a far cleaner form in 2026.
Ferrari has explored similar solutions. The team trialled its prototype during a private test and is now gathering more mileage with the system in Abu Dhabi.
Beyond early aero lessons, these parts also help Pirelli benchmark tyre behaviour.
By comparing cars with and without active front aerodynamics, engineers can better map loads and validate next year’s tyre targets.
“Talking about the front Straight Line Mode, the FIA gave the opportunity to the teams to develop a system that replicated this on the front wing. In that case, obviously, they don’t have to comply with the speed limit restriction,” explained Pirelli’s Mario Isola.
Mule cars are normally capped at around 300 km/h on the straights to protect the tyres.
“It’s also useful for us because you can compare a car that is running without the system with a car that is running with the system. When we did the first test with Ferrari with the system, it was really useful to understand and to compare this test with all the other tests, in terms of load and what we achieved, to understand and to make the other tests more representative.”
Teams trial new wheel rim ideas
Some teams also used the test to sample prototype wheel rims—hybrids between current designs and those intended for 2026.
“In some cases, teams ask for testing rims similar to the ones they are going to use next year, when they obviously have more freedom in designing the rim. And they have been authorized by the FIA to do a certain number of runs with the new rims.”
READ MORE – Who is driving in the F1 post-season test in Abu Dhabi
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