– Formula 1 tire supplier Pirelli completed a two-day test in Magny-Cours. The Italian manufacturer focused on the development of its tires for wet conditions on the artificially watered track. Alpine driver Pierre Gasly completed a total of 104 laps, covering around 900 kilometers.
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At ambient temperatures of 20 degrees Celsius and track temperatures of up to 29 degrees, Gasly achieved two best times: 1:37.816 minutes on rain tires on the first test day and 1:31.457 minutes on intermediates on the second.
For comparison: The current Formula 1 lap record dates back to the 2004 season and stands at 1:15.377 minutes – set by Michael Schumacher at the French Grand Prix in the Ferrari F2004, but under dry conditions.
It remains unclear which test vehicle Alpine used for Gasly. Pirelli did not provide any information on this and unusually did not release any pictures of the test runs. The tire manufacturer only stated that the former Grand Prix track was “uniformly” watered “to create optimal conditions for both types of rain tires.” (Overview: The racing tires of the 2026 Formula 1 season)
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The Circuit de Nevers at Magny-Cours hosted the French Grand Prix 18 times from 1991 to 2008. Schumacher is the record winner with eight victories, Ferrari is the most successful constructor with also eight wins. Besides Michael Schumacher, Heinz-Harald Frentzen (1999, for Jordan) and Ralf Schumacher (2003, for Williams) also won at Magny-Cours. (More about this in the Formula 1 database!)
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The next Pirelli tire test will follow in just one month: Tuesday and Wednesday after the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix will be dedicated to the development of dry tires. Which compounds will be used and which teams will participate in the new test sessions is not yet known.
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