What Are the Tyre Options for the 2026 Japanese GP?

F1 arrives at Suzuka for the 36^th time in its history this weekend, as the venue hosts our sport’s new regulations for the very first time.

The circuits fast-flowing and high-speed nature means plenty of wear goes into the tyres across a lap, and that has been reflected in Pirelli’s choice of rubber for the teams in the paddock this weekend.

The hardest possible Pirelli tyre in the range – the C1 – will act as the Hard tyre this weekend, with the C2 and C3 options also set to be used at Suzuka.

Here’s how this weekend’s allocation looks for teams up and down the paddock in Suzuka:

In addition, teams will this weekend have four sets of intermediate tyres and three sets of the full wet tyre to deal with any adverse weather conditions across the course of the weekend.

Suzuka has seen its fair share of wet sessions over the years, and it is possible that the intermediate or even wet tyre could appear in race conditions for the first time this season on Sunday.

Drivers who reach the final part of qualifying (Q3) will also receive an extra set of Soft tyres.

All drivers must use at least two different compounds of tyre during a dry Grand Prix.

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 decrease in in 25mm from previous years) and rear tyres are now 710mm in height and 375mm in width (a reduction of 30mm from previous seasons).

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

Each weekend, Pirelli will select three of these compounds as the Soft, Medium and Hard tyre. The decision is made based upon track characteristics and potential strategies.