The Italian manufacturer organized a new testing session at Mugello with McLaren and Red Bull joined by Audi F1, to finalize the development of the C1, C2, and C3 compounds of its future range.
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Liam Lawson and Oscar Piastri were on track during the first day, relayed by Lando Norris and Ayumu Iwasa on the second day.
At the wheel of the Red Bull RB22, Lawson mainly focused on developing the C3 compound. The New Zealander started with several series of eight laps intended to compare different specifications before doing longer stints to validate the solutions deemed most interesting by Pirelli. Lawson completed a total of 116 laps at Mugello, about 608 kilometers, with a best time of 1’22″297.
Particularly demanding conditions
McLaren’s program was slightly different since Piastri was able to evaluate the three compounds C1, C2, and C3. After several short stints, the Australian ended his day with two series of 14 laps. Piastri covered 488 kilometers and set the best performance of the day in 1’21″358, nine tenths faster than Lawson. However, the times remain not very significant given the different programs and tires used by the two teams.
Heat was an important factor on this first day. The track temperature reached up to 55°C, providing Pirelli with particularly interesting conditions to study the behavior of the different compounds under high thermal stress.
The goal is notably to compare the different constructions and formulations before finalizing the definitive characteristics of the C1, C2, and C3 that will be offered in 2027. These private tests are an essential step in Pirelli’s development program. As the sole supplier of Formula 1, the manufacturer relies on several teams to accumulate data in different conditions and with different cars.
Norris, Iwasa, and Hülkenberg on track
The second day of testing saw Lando Norris, Ayumu Iwasa, and Nico Hülkenberg accumulate more than 1,800 kilometers between them, with the reigning world champion topping the timesheet.
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Norris dedicated his entire day to the C2 compound. The McLaren driver started by evaluating several prototype solutions in the morning before focusing on the versions deemed most promising in the afternoon. The Briton completed 115 laps, or 603 kilometers, and set the best time of the day in 1’21″899.
Iwasa was the only one of the three drivers to work on the entire C1, C2, and C3 range. The Japanese, also a reserve and test driver for Racing Bulls, mainly focused on the two hardest compounds before making several comparisons with the C3 in the afternoon. He completed 117 laps for a total of 614 kilometers and recorded his best lap in 1’23″414.
Finally, Hülkenberg split his time between the C2 and C3. The German was the most active driver of the day with 121 laps completed, representing 635 kilometers. His best time was recorded at 1’24″012.
Nearly 3,000 kilometers in two days
The particularly hot conditions allowed Pirelli to gather valuable data. The track temperature reached up to 52°C on Thursday, providing the Italian manufacturer with interesting conditions to evaluate the behavior and degradation of its future dry-weather tires.
Over the two days, the five drivers involved – Piastri, Lawson, Norris, Iwasa, and Hülkenberg – covered a total of 2,948 kilometers at Mugello. The 2027 tire development program will now continue at Imola. Pirelli will organize a new session on September 15 and 16, this time with the participation of Ferrari and Racing Bulls.
It should be noted that Ferrari was also present at Mugello as part of a TPC test with an SF-25 entrusted to Rafael Camara on the eve of his audition by Haas in Portugal, thus confirming the Scuderia’s desire to best prepare its young protégé for a promotion to F1.
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