Pirelli. Photo: DPPI
Pirelli has announced its tire choices for the Austin-Mexico-São Paulo triple-header. After a 2025 season where hard compounds were largely sidelined, the Italian manufacturer is revising its strategy and opting for softer selections, particularly in Mexico and Brazil.
Formula 1 is preparing for three Grands Prix in three weeks in the Americas, and Pirelli has set the tire lineup for this crucial stretch. For the United States Grand Prix, which will take place from October 23 to 25 at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, drivers will have the C2 hard tire, the C3 medium, and the C4 soft. The following two races, in Mexico City (October 30 – November 1) and then São Paulo (November 6-8), will feature the softest trio in the range: the C3 hard, the C4 medium, and the C5 soft.
These choices reflect a deliberate adjustment following last year’s experience. In 2025, Pirelli attempted to widen the gap between compounds in Austin and Mexico City by nominating a harder, more durable tire, the C1 in Texas and the C2 in the Mexican capital, while retaining the same medium and soft compounds as today. This gamble failed to convince the teams, who preferred to rely heavily on the two softest compounds rather than trying to save a pit stop by using the whitewall tire. The manufacturer is therefore drawing the necessary conclusions by narrowing its selection.
However, it is at Interlagos that the most significant change is seen, as the 2026 tire selection is softer than last season’s. Last year, the hard tire also played only a marginal role in the race, with most teams opting for two-stop strategies built around the medium and soft compounds. By bringing its softest range to Brazil, Pirelli hopes to broaden the strategic options and make a scenario plausible in which all three compounds are used on Sunday, thus giving strategists more leverage on a track that has often produced eventful races.
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