The key challenge teams will need to manage in Barcelona

(opens in a new tab)Sign InSubscribeF1ScheduleChevron DropdownPrevious 2026 SeasonDriver Standings Team StandingsArchive 1950-2025F1 AwardsNewsChevron DropdownWhat is F1? What is F1 TV?F1 GlossaryGet involved2026 RegulationsNewsVideosThe key challenge teams will need to manage in BarcelonaUnlockedAre McLaren back in the fight against Mercedes in Barcelona?BettingBest Qualifying bets on the market for BarcelonaWhat the teams said – Friday in Barcelona-Catalunya Play19:07TECH TALK – A game-changer for Ferrari? 1:222026 Barcelona-Catalunya GP FP2: Onboard with Norris for the fastest lap of Friday practice Alexander AlbonFernando AlonsoKimi AntonelliOliver BearmanGabriel BortoletoValtteri BottasFranco ColapintoPierre GaslyIsack HadjarLewis HamiltonNico HulkenbergLiam LawsonCharles LeclercArvid LindbladLando NorrisEsteban OconSergio PerezOscar PiastriGeorge RussellCarlos SainzLance StrollMax VerstappenAll Drivers Hall of FameTeamsChevron DropdownAlpineAston MartinAudiCadillacFerrariHaas F1 TeamMcLarenMercedesRacing BullsRed Bull RacingWilliamsAll TeamsFantasy & GamingChevron DropdownF1 Sim RacingFantasyF1 25F1 Manager 24F1 PredictF1 ClashF1 Members' AreaMenuFIA if(window.f1MobileDetection.iOSSafari) { var meta = document.createElement("meta"); meta.name = "apple-itunes-app"; meta.content = "app-id=835022598, app-argument=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/the-key-challenge-f1-teams-will-need-to-get-to-grips-with-in-sundays-barcelona-catalunya-grand-prix.6Wu7w5DNSGOnt6y6FgZIpe.6Wu7w5DNSGOnt6y6FgZIpe"; document.head.appendChild(meta); } {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/the-key-challenge-f1-teams-will-need-to-get-to-grips-with-in-sundays-barcelona-catalunya-grand-prix.6Wu7w5DNSGOnt6y6FgZIpe","url":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/the-key-challenge-f1-teams-will-need-to-get-to-grips-with-in-sundays-barcelona-catalunya-grand-prix.6Wu7w5DNSGOnt6y6FgZIpe","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/the-key-challenge-f1-teams-will-need-to-get-to-grips-with-in-sundays-barcelona-catalunya-grand-prix.6Wu7w5DNSGOnt6y6FgZIpe","datePublished":"2026-06-13T09:22:27.721Z","dateModified":"2026-06-13T09:22:27.721Z","headline":"The key challenge F1 teams will need to get to grips with in Sunday's Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix","author":"F1","description":"Tyre degradation is expected to be one of the key talking points that could make for an unpredictable Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://media.formula1.com/image/upload/f_auto/q_auto/v1781342213/fom-website/2026/Barcelona-Catalunya/16x9%20single%20image%20-%202026-06-13T101644.460.png"},"isAccessibleForFree":"true","publisher":{"@type":"SportsOrganization","@id":"https://www.formula1.com#organization","name":"Formula 1","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.formula1.com/etc/designs/fom-website/social/f1-default-share.jpg","width":"480","height":"120"}}}PirelliBarcelona-Catalunya2026The key challenge F1 teams will need to get to grips with in Sunday's Barcelona-Catalunya Grand PrixTyre degradation is expected to be one of the key talking points that could make for an unpredictable Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix The Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix is an important event for Pirelli, with the launch of a book celebrating 500 F1 races and also the confirmation that the Italian company will continue to be the sport’s sole tyre supplier until 2028. The timing is coincidental, but Pirelli will also be in the spotlight for sporting reasons this weekend. For much of the 2026 season the talk has been of power units, with even teams admitting at the early races that pretty much everything else took a back seat, including understanding tyres. However, Barcelona is track that is famously challenging, and where tyre management and strategy are key. Last year most teams went for two stops, with a late Safety Car bumping that number to three, while both Red Bull drivers visited the pits four times on what was a tricky day for the team. Given that the red tyre was so popular in 2025, for this year’s race Pirelli has gone one step softer across the range, and thus the C2, C3 and C4 are in play. The general idea is to encourage the use of the hard, and to promote multiple stops – and the signs are that the plan is working, with Friday practice suggesting that two or even three will be on the cards on Sunday. Friday’s running indicated that teams consider the C2 is a good race tyre, because on Friday only Max Verstappen, Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman tried it, with everyone else hanging on to their two sets. “Personally I was a bit surprised, because the teams decided to use mainly the soft and medium compounds rather than the hard,” Pirelli chief engineer Simone Berra noted on Friday evening. “We expected the hard to suffer a little bit more with sliding, with surface temperature, with overheating, so we didn't think that the hard was a good race compound. “But the teams decided to keep both the sets for the race on Sunday. Probably they tried to see what the other teams were doing, and they decided to change their plans during FP1. But anyway, it's an interesting move.” What Pirelli and the teams also learned on Friday was that the degradation level across the three compounds is quite similar. “We have seen that the hard has struggled quite a lot, because it was sliding,” said Berra. “Max was not really happy with the balance and the grip level in general, and while the C3 and C4 showed more consistent grip level, less sliding, more bite on the tyres, generally the degradation level was pretty similar to the C2 in the end. So we didn't really see proper differences between the three compounds that they used today. “This is obviously important information, because for Sunday we don't see a real, let's say, preferred compound to be selected. So from our perspective the C3 and C4 should provide enough consistency and will be pretty similar to the C2 in the end, if we consider a race trim situation.” Degradation is set to be the big talking point on Sunday, especially as it is more significant than anticipated, while track temperature could be even higher than during Friday’s running. “What we are seeing today is high level of thermal decay,” said Berra. “Both front and rear axle, some teams struggling more with the rear at the start, then becoming more front limited, and others vice versa. But basically both the front and rear were suffering with high surface temperature, and high thermal decay. “These will be the main topics for the race. We've seen high level of degradation figures, up to two or three tenths, which is quite a big number. This is mainly due again to the track characteristics, roughness, energy of the layout of the circuit, and also high track temperatures, because today [Friday] we had 50-52C track temperatures in both FP1 and FP2. “All the three components are affecting the degradation level, so we do expect a situation where two stops are most likely – a completely different situation compared to previous races. Honestly, we are happy to see more strategies all around. Possibly it could be also a three-stop race – who knows? “With this level of degradation, management will be required, and all the three compounds are in the game to be used. So from our side at least it's a different story compared to the previous races.” What makes Sunday particularly interesting is that the teams have limited knowledge of how to manage degradation with their 2026 cars and the latest tyres, which are not the same as those in play last year. “For this car it’s the first time, and also for this kind of product,” said Berra. “The teams will try anyway to find a way to keep the temperatures under control. Not an easy one, but for sure also the lift-and-coast and power management will help them also with the tyre management.” The good news is that an intriguing and possibly unpredictable race is in prospect on Sunday. "We could potentially see a race where there will be some early stoppers,” Berra added. “They will try to push others to stop early, and in this case they can go to a three-stop race, or try to be a little bit longer to have the delta tyre performance for the end of the race, and then you can see also battles on track. It's an interesting scenario!” F1FacebookXInstagramYouTube© 2003-2026 Formula One World Championship Limited