What Are the Tyre Options for the 2026 Belgian GP?

Formula 1 is back in the Ardennes Forest at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for Round 10 of the 2026 World Championship. Having held the Belgian Grand Prix in F1’s inaugural season in 1950, Spa has been the sole host of the event since 1985.

The longest lap on the calendar, Spa is beloved by drivers and fans alike for iconic high-speed sequences like Eau Rouge and Raidillon, Pouhon and Blanchimont. Add in tricky slow corners like La Source and the Bus Stop chicane, as well as over 100m of elevation changes, and you have a complete test for an F1 car – and its tyres.

Pirelli returns to a standard collection of tyre compounds for 2026, with the C4 acting as the Soft, the C3 as the Medium and the C2 as the Hard tyre. Last year, Pirelli opted to run the C1 as the Hard, an unusual non-consecutive selection.

Additionally, teams have five sets of Intermediates and two sets of full Wet tyres to navigate adverse weather conditions. Drivers reaching Q3 will also receive an extra set of Softs. All drivers must use at least two different tyre compounds during a dry Grand Prix.

Spa is among the most weather-affected circuits in the F1 rotation. The 2025 race start was delayed by 20 minutes due to poor visibility, and the event was eventually run in changing conditions. Drivers and strategy teams alike will be in for a challenging weekend this time around.

What are the 2026 F1 Tyres?

The Pirelli tyres for 2026 are 18-inch wheels. Front tyres are 705mm in height and 280mm in width (a 25mm decrease from previous years) and rear tyres are now 710mm in height and 375mm in width (a 30mm reduction from previous seasons).

In 2026, there will be five compounds of dry tyres to choose from across the season – C1, C2, C3, C4 and C5.