Pirelli completes two days of testing in Barcelona with Russell, Hadjar, Tsunoda and Antonelli
Following the Spanish Grand Prix, Pirelli conducted two days of testing in Barcelona on its 2026 tires. Four drivers lined up by Mercedes, Racing Bulls and Red Bull took part in the runs, which focused mainly on hard compounds in view of the homologation deadlines scheduled for September and December 2025.
Pirelli conducted two days of technical testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 3 and 4, 2025, following the Spanish Grand Prix. These sessions dedicated to the development of the 2026 tires involved George Russell and Kimi Antonelli for Mercedes, Isack Hadjar for Visa Cash App RB, as well as Yuki Tsunoda for Red Bull.
The Italian equipment manufacturer was mainly looking to evaluate the performance of the hardest compounds on this particularly demanding track for tires.
First day: Russell and Hadjar on track
On Tuesday, George Russell took the wheel of the Mercedes while Isack Hadjar drove for Racing Bulls. Both drivers used adapted cars based on their respective teams’ 2024 single-seaters. Russell completed 136 laps with a best time of 1:16.920, while the Frenchman completed 146 laps in 1:18.334.
Pirelli engineers have focused their efforts on the hardest compounds in the range, taking advantage of the demanding nature of the Catalan circuit to evaluate different constructions and compositions.
Second day: Antonelli and Tsunoda take over
For the second day, Wednesday, Kimi Antonelli replaced Russell at Mercedes, accompanied by Yuki Tsunoda driving the Red Bull. The Italian completed 150 laps, recording the fastest time of the two days with 1:14.903. Tsunoda also completed 150 laps with a time of 1:16.839.
In total, 300 laps were completed during this second session, still focused on evaluating the most resistant compounds.
Tight deadlines for Pirelli
According to Mario Isola, the director of Pirelli’s motorsport division, the tire testing program is now entering its decisive phase. He specified the approval schedule for two key elements of the tires: the construction, meaning the internal structure of the tire, which must be validated before September 1st, and the compounds, which are the specific rubber blends used for the tread, benefiting from a later deadline on December 1st, 2025.
Isola also thanked the teams and drivers for their participation, especially after a particularly busy triple schedule.
The data collected in Barcelona will be verified during another test scheduled at Silverstone in July, after the British Grand Prix. The next development session is planned for June 19 and 20 in Fiorano, where Ferrari will test wet weather tire prototypes.
