Pirelli has confirmed tyre compound allocations for the upcoming five-day pre-season shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Teams may run on only three of the five days. Available rubber includes three slick compounds — C1 (hard), C2 (medium) and C3 (soft) — plus intermediates and full wets; Pirelli described the week as a tyre-focused preparation rather than a full aerodynamic programme.

Cadillac will make its first on-track outing in a championship environment during the Barcelona shakedown. Williams withdrew after significant FW48 assembly delays, leaving one team absent from the private running.

Team allocations reveal contrasting test priorities. Red Bull took 18 sets of C3 softs, only one set of C2 mediums and no C1 hards, signalling a short-run, peak-performance focus. Mercedes brought a paddock-high eight sets of C1 hards, requested 12 C3s (per reports) and skipped C2s, indicating emphasis on long runs with some short-run work. Ferrari prioritised medium-run data with 12 C2s and just three C3s. Both Ferrari and McLaren will skip the shakedown’s opening day. Other notes: Williams reportedly ordered 17 C3s before withdrawing; Haas requested the most intermediates (six); Audi ordered the most wets (three); an unnamed reference to the reigning world champions recorded a balanced split of four hards, ten mediums and six softs.

With teams limited to three running days, these inventory choices will tightly shape the data each squad can gather in Barcelona and help set the early direction of their 2026 programmes: heavy soft allocations point to qualifying-style exploration, while larger hard inventories indicate priorities around extended running and race simulation.

Sources