Overview
- All ten teams are on track with a mule car for Pirelli’s programme and a second current-spec car for a rookie, with several race drivers sitting out including Max Verstappen, George Russell and Yuki Tsunoda.
- Mule cars are modified 2025 chassis running Monza-style wing levels and slightly narrower tyres to approximate the lower downforce and drag expected in 2026.
- A roughly 290–300 km/h straight-line limit is imposed to prevent unrealistic front-axle overload created by using only rear-wing DRS on the mule cars.
- DRS use is expanded beyond the usual zones to include the start-finish straight and the run from Turn 2 to Turn 5 to better emulate 2026 straightline mode.
- Pirelli’s 2026 tyres are already homologated, with all compounds except the C1 and the full wet available in Abu Dhabi as the data gathered guides race-by-race selections for next season.