Stroll and Bortoleto test compounds at Silverstone

Pirelli’s test at Silverstone ended today. Once again Aston Martin and Sauber provided the car and drivers for tests aimed at development of the 2026 tyres. Today’s work focused on a comparison between various options for the three hardest compounds (C1, C2 and C3). In the morning, the drivers carried out several relatively short runs to evaluate the performance of the compounds, while in the afternoon, they switched to comparisons over long distances, running the best solutions to emerge from the test.

Lance Stroll was at the wheel of a mule-car based on the Aston Martin AMR25. The Canadian completed a total of 126 laps, the quickest in a time of 1’30”195. For a second day, Gabriel Bortoleto was on driving duty in a Sauber C45, raced by the Swiss team last year, but adapted to fit the 2026 tyres. The Brazilian completed 110 laps, setting a best time of 1’33”188.

“It’s been a really productive, positive couple of days, and a good chance to get more laps under my belt here in Silverstone, which is a track I really enjoy: I would like to thank both the team and Pirelli for this opportunity” commented Gabriel Bortoleto, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber. “We went through our entire programme for both days, and everything went smoothly. It was also important to get an initial feel for the 2026 tyres – as well as supporting Pirelli with our input. I started to build confidence with them, and the improved traction compared to this year’s compounds seems to allow for a cleaner and more controlled throttle application on corner exit.

“We are now in the crucial phase of 2026 tyre development and at Silverstone, we pretty much completed our work on construction,” explained Mario Isola, Pirelli Director of Motorsport. “Now, as usual, we will analyse all the data and reach conclusions prior to homologation, which is due to take place in early September. In addition, we were able to compare the most likely options for the hard compounds on the Silverstone track that is very tough on tyres. We still have more time to complete this, given that the cut-off date stipulated in the regulations is in November. We will conduct further test sessions, starting with one at the Hungaroring on 5 and 6 August, in other words, immediately after the Hungarian Grand Prix. Then there will be a further three sessions, in Monza, Mugello and Mexico City, to help us make the final choices.”