In its definition of its 2026 Formula 1 tyre compounds, Pirelli has admitted to something that had become patently obvious: the C6 experiment simply hasn’t worked. The Italian rubber enthusiasts had issued a communique on Monday that stated it will homologate just five dry compounds for next season’s all-new formula, taking us back to the C1-C5 range that we’d had in 2024.
A C6 compound had been developed and tested, but Pirelli was unable to produce a tyre with enough of a difference to the C5. This was one of the snippets of feedback that the brand had received about this year’s C6; admittedly, feedback was hardly in scarce supply in the four weekends where the C6 appeared on the menu. Max Verstappen was one of the more vocal dissidents in Azerbaijan, suggesting that Pirelli would have been better off “leaving it at home” and, as it happened, it was not brought to any further races.
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– The Autosport.com Team