F1 teams killed a mid-season fix for one of drivers' loudest complaints: tire pressures are too high in 2026. Pirelli proposed a black-and-orange-flag rule that would have allowed pressures to drop 1-3 psi per axle, but teams voted it down when it needed a supermajority.
The pressures—3-4 psi higher than last year—exist because active aero creates a nightmare scenario: if a car's wings fail and lock in corner mode down a straight, the vertical load at high speed could blow a tire. Haas driver Ollie Bearman called the current setup "driving with balloons"—less grip, constant locking, brutal deg.
Pirelli's proposal: if active aero fails and a car runs five laps stuck in corner mode, black-and-orange flag, mandatory pit. That would have eliminated the blowout risk and justified lower pressures. Some teams didn't want competitive balance upset mid-season; others didn't want a fixable aero glitch forcing a DNF. The balloons stay inflated through 2027.
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