Last week the FIA presented a draft technical regulations for Formula 1, which will come into force in 2026. FIA technical director Jean Monchaux said the federation had planned to switch from the current 18-inch to 16-inch tires but that idea was abandoned, but the tires will be around 8% narrower than modern tires by 2026.
Jean Monchaux: “We don’t want tires to become a source of concern in early 2026. The new powertrains, at least in theory, have a lot of torque, so we were concerned that moving to much smaller tires could be a problem.
There was some discussion at one point about moving to 16-inch tires, but that could lead to overheating issues and we didn’t want that to be the only topic fans and teams would be talking about in early 2026. As a result, we had to agree to a smaller change in tire size than we had all hoped for.
We do not expect the reduction in mechanical grip of the new tires to be dramatic. Yes, it will decrease as the tires get smaller, but it is not a concern for us.”
The FIA will give the teams and Pirelli the chance to test the new tires before 2026. Prototype testing should begin in September and will continue throughout the year.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
