During a notably warm day at Silverstone, Lance Stroll drove an AMR25 test chassis to break records in Pirelli’s latest tire evaluation, showcasing engineering strides crucial for Formula One‘s 2026 season. The joint effort between Aston Martin and Sauber focused on testing new tire compounds at various temperatures and track conditions, providing essential data for future car designs.

Stroll and Bortoleto Deliver Strong Performances in Rigorous Trials

Lance Stroll covered an impressive 465 kilometers, clocking a fastest lap time of 1m30.195, beating many benchmarks typically set during race weeks. Gabriel Bortoleto, driving a modified C45 for Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber, logged 110 laps totaling 253 kilometers. His best lap of 1m33.188 demonstrated the durability and consistent grip of the new compounds under demanding conditions.

“Ive kept pushing and the front-end grip just stays with you,”

said Gabriel Bortoleto, crediting the continuous feedback from the tire team.

“A noticeable step in traction lets us accelerate much sooner out of corners, a racing millisecond that translates into a decision-making hour for engineers.”

—Gabriel Bortoleto, Driver

Pirelli’s Mario Isola Highlights Critical Phase in Tire Development

Mario Isola, Motorsport Director at Pirelli, emphasized the importance of this stage in developing tires for the upcoming regulations.

“We have more or less finished building the tyre structures at Silverstone,”

Isola explained.

“Single races and then we will study the data to prepare for homologation early in September.”

This marks a crucial step toward finalizing the tire choices that will shape the 2026 Formula One season.

Next Testing Rounds Prepare Ground for Tire Homologation

The Silverstone test now serves as a benchmark for forthcoming evaluations, with the next sessions scheduled at the Hungaroring on August 5 and 6, shortly after the Hungarian Grand Prix. Additional tests will take place at Monza, Mugello, and Mexico City, all of which will finalize the tire compounds set to offer drivers and teams enhanced performance and strategic possibilities in future races.

Our Reader’s Queries

Q. Did Lance Stroll skip F2?

A. The only F1 drivers who moved up without racing in F2, which evolved from GP2, are Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll.