Red Bull take aggressive approach as Pirelli tyre split for Barcelona testing revealed
Pirelli has revealed the tyre compounds that will be used in the Barcelona test, along with which compounds — and how many of each — every team has chosen to bring.
We are now on the eve of the Barcelona test, the first of three sessions designed to allow teams to prepare as thoroughly as possible for the upcoming season, which will bring with it a host of major changes to the new cars, both under the skin and on the outside.
Active aerodynamics, new power units, 100% sustainable fuels and much more are inevitably set to give engineers some early headaches as they work to fully understand the new regulations and arrive in Melbourne for the opening race with the strongest possible package.
At Montmeló, teams will be able to use three of the five available test days, with several already confirming they will skip the opening day and the threat of rain potentially complicating run plans.
As for the tyre allocation, the choice has fallen on the C1, C2 and C3 compounds, which at Barcelona correspond to the hard, medium and soft range respectively. Intermediate and full wet tyres will of course also be available if required.
Looking at the allocations, Red Bull has clearly gone for an extremely aggressive approach, bringing as many as 18 sets of the C3 soft compound and no C2 mediums at all. Ferrari, by contrast, has taken the opposite approach, selecting just three sets of softs while opting for a hefty 12 sets of the C2 medium.
Similar differences can be seen across the grid, with Williams also heavily favouring soft tyres, while teams such as McLaren and Aston Martin have opted for a more balanced split between medium and soft compounds, highlighting the wide range of tyre choices.
The differences extend to the rain tyre choices as well. Most teams have opted for four sets of intermediates as a baseline, but there are notable variations: Racing Bulls and Haas have gone further, bringing five and six sets respectively, while Williams has limited its allocation to three.
When it comes to full wets, Red Bull and Ferrari stand out with two sets each, Audi has been the most cautious by selecting three, and the majority of the grid has settled on a single set, underlining differing approaches to preparing for potential wet running at Montmeló.
Below is a full overview of the tyre allocations for the Barcelona test.
Mercedes provide update on Barcelona F1 pre-season testing plans
Mercedes will be among the teams running from the very first day of pre-season testing in Barcelona, GPblog can confirm.
After remaining tight-lipped in the lead-up to the test, the Brackley-based squad has now finalised its plans, with George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli set to open their 2026 campaign on day one. Conditions are expected to be good enough to allow meaningful running, prompting the decision to head out immediately.
Mercedes therefore lines up alongside Red Bull Racing, Racing Bulls and Alpine on the opening day, while McLaren and Ferrari are set to delay their on-track debuts.
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