The FIA had initially desired even smaller tires for 2026, as revealed by the governing body. The motorsport federation unveiled its new technical regulations last week, which included plans for thinner tires. Compared to the current tires, the new ones will be 25 millimeters thinner at the front and 30 millimeters at the back. However, the governing body didn’t dare to opt for even thinner tires.
Jan Monchaux, Technical Director at the FIA, explains that the federation didn’t dare to make the tires thinner, fearing they might not be able to handle the power of the new 2026 engines. “We don’t want the tires to be a source of concern early in 2026,” the Technical Director told RaceFans, among others. “These new power units seem to have a tremendous amount of power, especially in the traction phase. We were just a bit nervous to go for much smaller [tires].”
The Technical Director also explains the problems that too small tires could cause in combination with the new power unit. “At one point there were discussions to go to 16-inch [tires] which could lead to overheating problems.” The FIA wants to avoid overheating problems becoming the talk of the day at the start of the 2026 season with the choice of larger tires.
No Significant Impact on Grip
The new tires will therefore be only eight percent thinner than the current tires. “We don’t expect a significant difference in the changes being made to the tires in terms of overall mechanical grip. There could be a slight reduction because the tires are smaller. However, it’s not a deviation that really worries us,” says Monchaux.
