The Italian manufacturer finalised its constructions earlier in the year and has now completed its final analysis following post-Mexico testing, allowing it to select the five compounds that will be homologated on 15 December.
Next year will feature a range from C1 to C5, mirroring the current structure but without the extra-soft option that made its debut in 2025.
Pirelli said the decision to drop the C6 came after recent development showed the lap-time difference between the C5 and C6 prototypes was too small to justify keeping the sixth compound.
“The decision not to validate the sixth and softest compound, the C6, which is in the range for the current season, was taken precisely because it was impossible to meet this delta requirement,” Pirelli said in a statement.
“The most recent tests showed that the time gap between the C5 and C6 prototypes was too small compared to the others, without offering any significant performance advantage.”
The removal of the C6 is aimed at ensuring a wider and more consistent performance delta across the range, something Pirelli has focused on after several compounds this year proved too similar in lap time.
The company explained that “particular attention has been paid to performance differences between the compounds in terms of lap time, so as to ensure a wide and consistent delta between them, to deliver more strategy options.”
Ahead of final homologation, the new tyre range will be evaluated at a group test on December 9 in Abu Dhabi.
Teams will be supplied with sets of C2 to C5 compounds, along with intermediates in case of wet conditions. The C1 and full wets, while included in the 2026 range, will not be provided at Yas Marina.
Current race drivers will run the new tyres in “mule cars,” while rookie drivers will take part in the end-of-season Young Drivers Test in 2025 machinery fitted with the current tyres.
Next year’s tyres will also accompany a significant shift in car design, with narrower 18-inch fronts and rears and the introduction of active aerodynamics.
Pirelli has used team-supplied forecast data for loads and speeds expected in the 2026 season to guide development.
The test will mark the first on-track opportunity for teams to evaluate the revised range ahead of F1’s move into a new regulatory era.
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