(Motorsport-Total.com) – Immediately after the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, Pirelli completed a two-day development test for the 2027 Formula 1 slick tires at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The focus was primarily on various versions of the C2 compound. Aston Martin, Cadillac, and Ferrari contested the test drives.
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On the first day of testing, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, Aston Martin junior driver Jak Crawford, and Cadillac reserve driver Guanyu Zhou were in action. In the morning, the program focused on short performance runs of eight laps each with different carcass and structure variants of the C2 compound. In the afternoon, longer stints followed with the most promising specifications.
In high summer conditions with asphalt temperatures up to 57 degrees, Leclerc completed 134 laps (624 kilometers) and set the fastest lap of the day at 1:16.619 minutes. Crawford achieved 1:23.709 minutes and 146 laps (680 kilometers), while Zhou could only complete 54 laps (251 kilometers) due to technical problems at Cadillac. Zhou managed 1:21.543 minutes.
Only Cadillac and Ferrari drive on the second day
On the second day, Ferrari fielded Charles Leclerc’s brother Arthur instead of Charles Leclerc. Zhou continued the test program for Cadillac – Aston Martin did not participate. Again, different structural variants and specifications of the C2 tire were on the agenda, first in short, then in longer trials.
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Temperatures even rose to up to 58 degrees on the asphalt and 36 degrees in the air. Arthur Leclerc completed 141 laps (657 kilometers) and set a best time of 1:17.430 minutes. Zhou covered 130 laps (605 kilometers) and achieved 1:19.321 minutes as his personal best time.
In total, 605 laps or 2,817 kilometers were completed during the two test days. However, the lap times achieved have only limited significance, as the teams were using specially adapted test vehicles, different programs, and unknown setups.
Crucial for Pirelli are the data obtained on tire structure, durability, and performance of the future slick generation. These tires will be tested again after the British Grand Prix at Silverstone – then with Mercedes and Williams.
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