Isola: 'New C6 tyre has significant degradation after just one flying lap'
F1 News
- Estéban den Toom
Pirelli boss Mario Isola has said that the post-season test in Abu Dhabi was "a very useful test", but there are some issues with some tyres that have been found. Two drivers per team were in action, and for Red Bull Racing, for instance, it was Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar behind the wheel of the RB20. Among other things, tyres were tested for the new Formula 1 season. After the test, Isola discussed the new C6 tyres, overheating, and the whole test in general.
"This was a very useful test, being able to see the entire new range of compounds that have been homologated for next season in use, with the exception of the C1, tyre. Track conditions were very good, very similar to those experienced last Sunday during the final Grand Prix and with not-too-dissimilar temperatures. We gathered a lot of data which will now be analysed very carefully by our engineers and those from the teams to continue to prepare as thoroughly as possible for next season," Isola told reporters after the tyre test around the Yas Marina Circuit.
"From a first preliminary analysis, we can say that the new compounds have proved to offer greater mechanical resistance, which therefore leads to a reduction in the level of abrasion on the tread. As for overheating, we knew it would be difficult to see significant improvements, as we ran almost entirely in sunny conditions, unlike over the race weekend," Pirelli's main man continued.
New C6 tyre quickly degrades
Halfway through the 2025 season, news came that Pirelli were working on a new tyre within Formula 1, which was the C6 tyre. The tyre is obviously even softer than the C5 tyre, but this in turn also causes more degradation.
"From what we saw today, we can say that the difference in performance between the C2, C3, C4 and C5 are more in line with our goals, namely to have a gap of around half a second in between each of them," he said. "As for the brand new C6, we saw on this track, with its very demanding final section, especially in terms of traction, that degradation even on a first flying lap is quite pronounced. Now we will carry out a careful analysis of the data to identify which tracks will be best suited to its possible use in a race weekend," Isola concluded.
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy
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