McLaren and Alpine were in action at the former Spanish Grand Prix venue Jerez today as Pirelli continues its work on its new tyres for 2026.
Both teams ran ‘mule’ cars based on their 2023 chassis. Pierre Gasly drove for Alpine while McLaren gave another testing opportunity to IndyCar race-winner Pato O’Ward, who has made three appearances for them in Formula 1 practice sessions over the last three seasons.The test followed on from last week’s running at the Circuit de Catalunya, which McLaren also participated in. At the 4.428 kilometre track, which is noted for its especially abrasive surface, F1’s official tyre supplier brought a selection of C2, C3 and C4 rubber built to the narrower specifications intended for use next year.
The two drivers completed 310 laps in total, split almost equally between them. Gasly, driving a modified A523 in a largely black livery with pink and white sponsor logos, did four more laps than O’Ward in his blank McLaren.
On a largely dry and sunny day, the Alpine driver logged the fastest time with a 1’18.092 to O’Ward’s 1’19.484. F1 last visited the circuit for a grand prix in 1997, when three drivers sensationally shared the fastest time in qualifying with matching laps of 1’21.072.
The test will continue tomorrow with Gasly’s new team mate Jack Doohan taking over in the Alpine. Mercedes will take over from McLaren with George Russell at the wheel.
Other teams who have already tested Pirelli’s prototype 2026 tyres include Aston Martin, who were first to run them last year, and Ferrari, who participated in last week’s test with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Next year’s tyres are 25mm narrower at the front than this year’s and 30mm narrower at the rear.
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Pictures: McLaren and Alpine test Pirelli tyres at Jerez
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Jere (@jerejj)
13th February 2025, 6:40
Not that this truly matters, but I’m surprised that mostly only Ferrari has used a 2024 car with modifications, although so did McLaren at Circuit Paul Ricard.
Otherwise, everyone has used a 2023 car with modifications, even though previous-year machinery is always eligible for designated upcoming technical regulation change preparatory testing as opposed to normal unofficial testing for which two-year-old cars are the most recent eligible ones.
Oh well, what matters is that the modifications work for their intended purpose, especially for Pirelli’s sake, regardless of which year’s car is chosen, & looking at the cars here without either any logos or featuring only some of them is weird.
The logoless McLaren livery somewhat reminds me of the MP4-20 testing livery & Alpine’s one reminiscence Renault testing livery, 2019 or 2020, iirc.
Coventry Climax
13th February 2025, 9:08
This suggests the tyres they are now testing have remained unchanged from what Aston tested, but I sure do hope Pirelli also do something with the test results they gather, and work out (and in) modifications and improvements (hopefully) to their prototype tyre construction and compounds.
This is Pirelli, but why else would you test over any span of time? (Even if ‘last year’ is not even two months ago currently.)
Bottom line: I assume Aston did not test the exact same tyres that McLaren and Alpine now do.
ryanoceros (@ryanoceros)
13th February 2025, 21:41
Does anyone know of Pirelli are replacing their godawful extreme wet weather tires this year? Not much point in having them if no one wants to use them unless forced to do so by the safety car.