Pirelli Director Welcomes Criticism From Max Verstappen but Won’t Pay Heed to His Demands

F1’s official tire supplier, Pirelli, is aiming to develop a thinner profile for the 2026 cars. However, Director Mario Isola clarified that they won’t be reverting to 16-inch tires. Instead, the company will focus on modifying the 18-inch wheels to meet the demands of the 2026 regulations.

This comes despite Max Verstappen‘s insistence that Pirelli should consider switching back to 16-inch tires, which F1 cars used until 2021. He said in an interview, “Maybe Pirelli should spend more time making sure the 16-inch tires don’t overheat.”

Isola graciously accepted the Dutchman’s feedback, expressing his respect for the drivers’ input. However, he made it clear that he wouldn’t always bow down to their demands.

Speaking of the Red Bull driver, Isola said, “Verstappen is a world champion. His abilities are beyond doubt. And any comment or criticism that can help us better understand how the drivers feel and how we can develop the tires is more than welcome.”

BREAKING

Pirelli will continue as F1’s tire supplier for the 2025-27 seasons after fending off a challenge from Bridgestone #F1 pic.twitter.com/ISKvwPA1Pl

— Autosport (@autosport) October 10, 2023

Talking about the 2026 regulations, Isola admitted that the new cars will be 30kgs lighter than the current-spec challengers. That means even Pirelli will have to figure out ways to save weight.

Why is Pirelli sticking with 18-inch tires for 2026 F1 cars?

Isola explained that the profile of the tires will be modified to fit the scope of the upcoming regulations. However, the tire size will not be reduced because they cannot afford to slow the cars down.

“Of course, we also cannot have Formula 1 cars that are ultimately slower than Formula 2 cars. That’s why, if we want to maintain the same performance, we have to accept that the tires are slightly larger,” he explained.

However, the details about the 2026 tires are not yet set in stone. Pirelli is expected to gather all the feedback they can from the drivers, teams, and the FIA before going about designing the tires.

As Isola explained, it takes at least one year for the company to get the compounds right for an entire season of racing. Hence, a final decision about the exact specifics of the 2026 tires can be expected to be made early next year.