Pirelli tire tests disrupted by rain at Mugello
The Pirelli tire tests carried out on the Italian Mugello track were disrupted by rain on Tuesday. Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren were able to complete laps on Wednesday to test the 2025 and 2026 tires.
Decidedly, the weather continues to play tricks on the tests carried out by Pirelli for its tires in preparation for the upcoming seasons. Continuing its preparations for 2025 and 2026, the official Formula 1 manufacturer was present at Mugello this week to equip Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren. Like last week at Magny-Cours, the first of the two days dedicated to these tests was disrupted by rain.
Present at the edge of the Italian circuit on Tuesday, Liam Lawson, Red Bull reserve driver, was supposed to equip his single-seater with rain tires intended for the 2025 season. Lando Norris was supposed to drive a McLaren mule to « try out the prototypes of the tires that will be used from 2026 », as specified by Pirelli. However, the two drivers « barely drove during the day ». Poor visibility due to weather conditions « prevented the safety helicopter from flying for a long time », leaving the single-seaters stuck in the stands.
Better conditions on Wednesday
The lull on Wednesday allowed the session to unfold as planned. In addition to Lawson and Norris, the two Scuderia drivers were also present, taking turns driving the Ferrari with compounds designed for 2025. With the track still wet in the morning, the drivers put on intermediate tires before switching to soft compounds. The British driver completed no less than 118 laps, two more than Lawson, who will be driving Daniel Ricciardo’s Racing Bulls until the end of the season.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz completed 79 and 77 laps respectively. The best time of the day was achieved by the Monegasque driver (1:21.053), ahead of Norris (1:21.302) and his teammate Sainz (1:21.890). Liam Lawson recorded a time of 1:23.219. However, these reference laps have little value.
Return to France in November
Pirelli announced that the second free practice session of the Mexican Grand Prix (October 25-27) will be the next stage of the tyre development program for next year. The Italian manufacturer will then return to Magny-Cours on November 13th and 14th to test the tires planned for 2026 with an Alpine mule car.
