Behind Pirelli’s decision to prevent F1 one stop races in 2026 – Formula One in 2026 is a very different proposition to how it was a quarter of a century ago. Then we had a tyre war between Micheline an Bridgestone with five teams signed to the French manufacturer and six to the one from Japan.
The Bridgestone tyres were generally more consistent over a race distance. They had a very close technical partnership with Ferrari, which many experts believe contributed significantly to the team’s dominance during this era. Michelin were known for being exceptionally fast in qualifying and performing well in hotter track conditions. They saw immediate success in their comeback year, with the Michelin-shod Williams team winning the fourth round of the season at Imola.
Yet during this era, the races were often tedious affairs as TV commentators would relay the fact that driver x was now 0.1 closer to Y than on the previous lap – when the gap was in fact several seconds.
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Pirelli take on F1’s new tyre brief
Come 2007 and the FIA decided it was time for F1 to have just one tyre supplier and it was Bridgestone who stepped up to the plate. Yet their tenure was short lived as the Japanese manufacturer decided in 2010 to quit the sport due to rising costs and better marketing opportunities elsewhere.
With just six months to prepare, Pirelli stepped into the breach for F1 and their brief for the supply of tyres was to be quite different from any before. The FIA mandated that Pirelli build F1 tyres designed to degrade and to force the teams into making pit stops to improve the racing which had become processional.
This was a far cry from the bullet proof Bridgestones which had gone before and not everyone in the paddock was entirely sure the plan would work. In fact it was one of the FIA’s better wheezes although Pirelli suffered some extremely bad publicity from races like the 2013 British Grand Prix. On Monday morning the back pages were filled with close up’s of shredded Pirelli tyres on F1 cars and no less than six of the competitors suffered rear left tyre explosions.
Yet on the whole, Pirelli have served Formula One well in their endless battle to outwit the teams in terms of their understanding of tyre wear. The goal for the Italian rubber manufacturer is that F1 races should be limited by the amount of rubber available and that two or three pit stops for fresh tyres ism the ideal.
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The range of dry weather tyres over the years has been expanded to six different compounds ranging from the hardest C1 to the softest and least durable C5. With the huge regulation changes for 2026, Pirelli were kind of shooting in the dark in terms of what to expect.
The downforce of the new cars was theoretically being reduced by 25% along with the size of the tyres together with the contact patch with the asphalt. Whilst the wheel rim size remained the same, the structure of the tyre was re-engineered to provide a wider and more consistent performance gap to enhance strategic options.
So how are Pirelli doing this year? Well given their tyres are shipped by sea, the selection for the opening three Grand Prix would have taken place long before pre-season testing in Bahrain. The Italian supplier decided to use the same range of compounds which they did in 2025.
For Australia it was the C3-C5, in China it was the C2-C4 and for this weekend in Japan where the circuit is brutal we will see the hardest and most durable tyres in the C1-C3. So how did Pirelli’s new rubber fit the brief? At face value not very well. Both Grand Prix won by Mercedes drivers were completed on just one change of rubber. Yet the Brackley based F1 team are. Renown for their better tyre management when the temperatures are cooler which was indeed the case for the opening two rounds of this year’s competition.
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So far, less pit stops in F1 2026
Its impossible to compare Melbourne 2025 and 2026 due to the heavy rain last season and the multiple car pile up on the first lap in 2025. The average number of stops across the grid was 1.4 in Australia which means a majority of the field also one stopped along with Mercedes.
On China the conditions across both years was more comparable, but again the average number of pit stops across the field was 1.3, down from 1.4 in 2025. So far – not so good for Pirelli this season. Their head of the F1 project, Mario Isola explained after the Chinese Grand Prix: “[This year] There is a different footprint, there is a different torque, there are different elements. Now we have, and I believe that in any case we have not been far from ideal in Melbourne and here as well, so choices for the first races are still good choices.”
This doesn’t bode well for the decisions Pirelli will make for the remainder of the season given clearly in both China and Australia Pirelli could have elected to run a range of tyres one step softer and less durable.
Pirelli’s choice of tyres for the season is not set in stone and isolated recognises this. “We will consider that in general, so if in some circuits we need to go one step softer, there is the possibility to change the selection. We sent a draft selection to the teams and they have an idea for all the season but we can change the selection in agreement with the FIA, so there is still the possibility to move, a little bit, the selection on the hard side or most probably on the soft side.”
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Hope for change – a long way down the road
Some hope maybe, although nothing will change until the European season begins given the tyres for Miami have already been shipped. Clearly when in Europe the logistics are more suitable to a more swift change of plans and the first evidence of Pirelli recognises the need to go softer on tyres may be possible for Canada, the event after Miami. However given Pirelli opted for the softest in their range in 2025, they can do little more than choose the same tyre compounds.
Monaco then follows, which always sees the softest compounds in the Pirelli range, so the first real opportunity for Pirelli to prove they are going ‘softer’ on their rubber selection will come in Barcelona, which will be held the second weekend of June. Again, this is a testing track layout for the F1 cars and tyres and traditionally the tyre compounds brought are the hardest in the range. So again, probably no change there.
Austria is next up but in 2025 Pirelli selected the softest rage there too. It will be at the British Grand Prix in early July where Pirelli can make their first real decision change on their tyre selection from 2025. Then it was the C2-C4 compounds used and by the scheduled round 9 this year, we may finally see Pirelli try something different.
Formula One may be the fastest racing series on the planet, but when it comes to certain aspects of the sport, its very slow to initiate change.
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NEXT ARTICLE: Honda car crash at home race in Japan predicted
Last Updated on March 23 2026, 9:49 pm
Some have noted the deja vu kind of feeling about Honda and another new set of Formula One engine regulations. Last time around they were late to the party – by a whole year – starting in 2015 whilst the rest of the field had a year’s running under their belts.
Despite another late start with Honda having initially pulled out of F1 in 2021, only to decide in 2023 to partner with Aston Martin in a works collaboration. Having won 72 races with Red Bull Racing together with six championships, Honda, with their advanced electronics division were expected to ace the all new 2026 power unit rules.
Yet 2 race weekends in, together with four Grand Prix starts, have not yet given up a finish for either Fernando Alonso or Lance Stroll. This is not merely deja vu, but Honda find themselves in a worse situation than in 2015 where, despite one of the McLaren cars failing to make the start, Jenson Button in the other finished the season opener in Melbourne. Neither he nor Fernando Alonso finished the second time out in Malaysia…. CONTINUE READING
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
