Pirelli plans to test its rain tires in the heart of the Bahrain desert.

Within the framework of the technological revolution initiated by the Formula 1The single-seaters have been thoroughly redesigned. Pirelli, the sole tire supplier for the sport, has therefore also had to adapt the tires supplied to the teams. One of the major areas of development concerns the rain compound, the use of which was previously limited to very extreme conditions where the race was often interrupted for safety reasons, as was the case at the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix.

To improve the effectiveness of its rain tires, the Italian supplier is planning to organize a test in the rain in the middle of the Bahrain desert, reveals Mario Isola, sporting director of the Italian firm. They have a fantastic idea with sprinklers and some other devices. I must say that the people of Bahrain are always very cooperative when we make unusual requests. he confides to The RaceI called the guys here [in Bahrain] and said: 'What if we organized a wet-weather test in Bahrain?' They said : 'Yes, of course we can.'

While other circuits have the necessary infrastructure to artificially soften their asphalt, Bahrain's circuit offers a particular advantage: a very high level of degradation. This is a valuable characteristic for Pirelli in the development of its tires. We need consistency in the water level because clearly the risk is that the inconsistency in the water level is greater than the difference between the prototypes. But they have been clear. 'Yes, understood, we will consider preparing the track.'

He adds : " We will have the opportunity to test it on a very demanding circuit in wet conditions. This is something that doesn't happen very often. So we have this opportunity and we want to use it in the best way possible. explains the Italian director. What we have tried to do is reduce the transition time between the rain tire and the intermediate tire in order to make the rain tire more usable. The aim is that if you are in race conditions and the track is expected to dry, they will put on an intermediate tire because they want to minimize the number of pit stops. »

Pirelli is expected to conduct this test with test cars McLaren et Mercedes Benz 2026 on February 28 and March 1 in the late afternoon to take advantage of variable temperature conditions, ahead of the start of the 2026 F1 season scheduled for March 8 in Melbourne (Australia).

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