Pirelli is overhauling F1's wet-weather tyres for 2027 after drivers tore into the current spec at Interlagos. The Brazilian GP weekend exposed glaring problems with both compounds. Carlos Sainz called them "not good enough," citing weak rear grip and excessive aquaplaning. The intermediate was worse: drivers couldn't fire them up on low-speed laps to the grid, and once warm, the tread degraded so fast the performance window never materialized. Alex Albon: "You never feel good at any point."
The regression traces to 2026's active-aero regulations. Pirelli built a stiffer tyre to handle violent straight-mode-to-corner-mode transitions and guard against active-aero failures. Minimum pressures jumped — fronts up from 25.5 to 28 psi on inters — killing the compliance drivers lean on in the wet. George Russell warned that Interlagos' rough asphalt and heat masked how bad these could be at Spa in the cold. Pirelli has a Bahrain wet test scheduled for February to dial in a fix.
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