Pirelli Motorsport completed another F1 2025 tyre test in Mugello with Red Bull and Ferrari, while McLaren got the first taste of 2026 tyre.
Day 1 –
Rain seems particularly attached to Pirelli’s development test programme in this final quarter of 2024. Last week, the two days spent at Magny-Cours were, to say the least, complicated by the weather and now the session that started today at the Mugello circuit saw heavy rain right from the early hours of the morning. Furthermore, poor visibility at the Tuscan track meant that, for quite a while, the safety helicopter could not fly and therefore the cars hardly did any running all day long.
There were two different programmes scheduled for today. Liam Lawson, who is fulfilling his role as reserve driver with Oracle Red Bull Racing before he jumps into his seat with Visa Cash App RB next week in Austin was due to work on finalising compounds for the 2025 season while the McLaren F1 Team, with Lando Norris in the cockpit of a mule car was due to try for the first time the prototypes of the tyres to be used as from 2026.
These have the same 18” diameter as the current ones, but the width and external diameter are slightly smaller on both the front and rear axles. Weather permitting, testing resumes tomorrow. The same two teams and drivers will be on track, joined for the day by Scuderia Ferrari HP, with Charles Leclerc, working on next year’s tyres.
Day 2 –
Finally, the rain eased off at Mugello and the second day of this test was able to run according to plan. Four drivers were in action at the Tuscan track: as he did yesterday, reserve driver Liam Lawson got behind the wheel for Oracle Red Bull Racing, with the McLaren F1 Team fielding one of its race drivers, namely Lando Norris. Scuderia Ferrari HP was only scheduled to run today and Carlos Sainz drove the SF-24 in the morning, before handing over to Charles Leclerc for the afternoon. Once again today, the Pirelli engineers worked on two parallel programmes: Red Bull and Ferrari focused on development of compounds for 2025, especially the hardest in the planned range for next season.
McLaren meanwhile ran a mule car in Mugello, for its first experience of running prototype tyres for the 2026 season. For the first hour in the morning, the track was still damp, to the extent that all three cars ran intermediate tyres, which actually produced useful information, especially as Mugello is such a demanding track. From 11am onwards it was possible to run slicks to try and get through all the planned programme. Over the course of the day, a total of 390 laps was completed.
Lando Norris drove the most laps (118 in a time of 1’21’’302), followed by Liam Lawson (116 laps, 1’23’’219), Charles Leclerc (79 laps, 1’21’’053) and Carlos Sainz (77 laps, 1’21’’890). The next stage of the development programme for next year’s compounds will take place on 25 October during the second free practice session for the Mexico City Grand Prix, designated as an in-competition test, while work on the 2026 prototypes resumes on 13 and 14 November at Magny-Cours (France) using a mule car run by the Alpine team.
Video: https://x.com/ScuderiaFerrari/status/1844000989491470366
Here’s info from Pirelli test in Magny-Cours
Here’s info from Pirelli test in Barcelona of 2026 tyres
Here’s info from Pirelli test in Monza, Fiorano
Here’s info from Pirelli test in Spa-Francorchamps
Here’s info from Pirelli test in Silverstone
Here’s info from Pirelli test in Mugello
Here’s Pirelli in last test in Paul Ricard
Here’s info from Pirelli test in Jerez
Here’s info on Pirelli test in Suzuka
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[Note: The story is as per press release]