What Are the Tyre Options for the 2026 Spanish GP?

For the first time since 1981, Formula 1 goes racing in Madrid. Round 14 of the 2026 World Championship takes us to the Madring, a brand new circuit built around the IFEMA Exhibition Centre.

The circuit layout is reminiscent of some other street tracks on the calendar: the fast and twisty first sector brings Jeddah to mind, and the third sector’s 90-degree corners evoke Baku. But the second sector, and the highly anticipated, banked turn 12, El Monumental, are a completely new addition for F1.

Pirelli’s simulations suggest that the circuit will be one of the most demanding races of the season on tyres and have opted for the centre of the range for hardness of compound. The C4 will act as the Soft, the C3 as the Medium and the C2 as the Hard tyre for the Madring’s inaugural event.

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.

Madrid is the European capital with the least amount of rain year-over-year, and this sunny September weekend looks to match that reputation. As a result, it looks nigh on impossible that the Intermediates and Wets will see action on track 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.