F1 | Aston Martin to debut 2026 tyres on AMR23 mule car

Aston Martin will be the team that will debut the 2026 tyres on the track. The Silverstone team is preparing an AMR23 as a mule-car in view of the test that Pirelli will schedule on the Barcelona circuit between the Baku and Singapore GPs. For the sole Milanese supplier, this is a hectic moment, given that, while the season will continue with the scheduled race calendar, the tests for the definition of the 2025 tyres will overlap with the first laps on the track of the slightly narrower 18-inch tyres with a smaller diameter than the current 720 mm.

If in Monza, after the Italian GP, ​​the work will continue to define the “shoes” of next year with a focus on reducing overheating and the approval of the C6, a softer compound that will be added to the available range to respond in particular to the needs of street circuits, in Barcelona the experimentation towards the new regulation will begin.

The FIA ​​and Pirelli have asked the teams to be available to modify a single-seater to transform them into mule cars: the adaptation will not be simple since the suspensions will have to be redone to adapt the car to the smaller dimensions of the agile F1s, which are decidedly narrower, and the aerodynamics will also have to be revised. The International Federation has sent the teams the TD in which it specifies the values: it talks about a 30% reduction in downforce and a 40% reduction in resistance to advancement.

This means that we will see the AMR23 running on a medium-high downforce track like Montmelò with unloaded wings suitable for Monza and with several parts of the bodywork “trimmed”, that is, cut, to improve air penetration.

After Aston Martin, it will be up to McLaren and Alpine to continue the initial research and development work with narrower tyres with a smaller diameter which will make the shoulder lower and stiffer than today, changing the behaviour and reactions of the single-seaters compared to today.