Racing tires sit at the intersection of engineering, regulations, and fitment. Pirelli’s Formula 1 development figures show thousands of hours of testing and simulation, while FIA regulations define how many tire sets a driver may use. Pirelli’s track-focused road tires add another useful perspective: the available sizes, markings, and rim ranges reveal how specialized performance fitment can become.
Contents
- Formula 1 tire development by the numbers
- FIA tire allocations at race weekends
- How dry compounds are allocated
- The 2026 Formula 1 tire and car changes
- Pirelli Trofeo Track availability and markings
- Trofeo Track sizes from 17 to 21 inches
- Trofeo R fitment data
Formula 1 tire development by the numbers
Pirelli’s F1 tires page describes a development program built around a large virtual and physical testing effort. The 18-inch F1 tire design program involved more than 10,000 hours of indoor testing and more than 5,000 hours of simulation. Those are separate measures of development work, so they should not be treated as a single combined testing total. Source: Pirelli F1 tires page.
The same Pirelli account says more than 70 virtual prototypes were developed for the current F1 tire design. The final concept reached 30 different specifications, and those specifications were tested over more than 20,000 kilometres. Together, these figures show the scale of a racing-tire program before a tire reaches a race weekend.
Pirelli says the current F1 slick range uses six compounds, numbered C0 through C5. A race weekend does not use all six at once: Pirelli provides three different slick compounds for an F1 race weekend. The compound range and the weekend selection are therefore different measurements. The first describes the available slick family; the second describes the number selected for a particular event.
The listed F1 dimensions are also highly specific. Pirelli gives the front tire size as 305/720-18 and the rear tire size as 405/720-18. These are racing dimensions rather than ordinary passenger-car fitment labels, and the front and rear figures are not interchangeable. Source: Pirelli F1 tires page.
FIA tire allocations at race weekends
The FIA’s 2024 Formula 1 Sporting Regulations set different tire-set limits for sprint and non-sprint weekends. At sprint weekends, each driver may receive no more than 12 sets of dry-weather tires, four sets of intermediate tires, and three sets of wet-weather tires. The three wet-weather categories should be read separately: the rule allows four intermediate sets and three wet-weather sets, not seven interchangeable wet-weather sets. Source: FIA 2024 Formula 1 Sporting Regulations.
At a non-sprint weekend without extra tires, the regulation allows no more than 13 sets of dry-weather tires per driver. The same weekend allocation includes four sets of intermediate tires and three sets of wet-weather tires. When extra tires are made available at a non-sprint weekend, the dry-weather limit is no more than 12 sets per driver. The intermediate and wet-weather figures provided for the standard non-sprint allocation remain four and three sets, respectively.
ATA events use a lower dry-weather limit: no more than 11 sets per driver. The supplied FIA figures identify this as a separate event category, so it should not be folded into the sprint or ordinary non-sprint totals. These limits describe allocations under the 2024 sporting regulations and are not a general estimate of how many tires a private track-day driver needs.
| Weekend or event type | Dry-weather sets | Intermediate sets | Wet-weather sets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint weekend | 12 | 4 | 3 |
| Non-sprint, no extra tires | 13 | 4 | 3 |
| Non-sprint, extra tires available | 12 | 4 | 3 |
| ATA event | 11 | Not specified here | Not specified here |
Source for all table figures: FIA 2024 Formula 1 Sporting Regulations. The table preserves the supplied categories and does not infer missing ATA allocations.
How dry compounds are allocated
The dry-weather limit becomes more useful when paired with the hard, medium, and soft breakdown. At a sprint weekend, the FIA allocation is two sets of hard tires, four sets of medium tires, and six sets of soft tires per driver. These three figures total the stated 12 dry sets; the six-soft figure is identified as derived from the 12-set total after subtracting two hard and four medium sets. Source: FIA 2024 Formula 1 Sporting Regulations.
At a non-sprint weekend without extra tires, the dry allocation is two sets of hard tires, three sets of medium tires, and seven sets of soft tires per driver. This is a different compound mix from the sprint allocation: the hard count remains two, the medium count falls by one, and the soft count rises by one while the total rises from 12 to 13 sets.
ATA events use three sets of hard tires, four sets of medium tires, and four sets of soft tires per driver. Those figures total 11 dry sets, matching the ATA dry-weather limit. The ATA mix therefore has one more hard set and one fewer soft set than the sprint allocation, while keeping four medium sets.
| Event type | Hard | Medium | Soft | Dry total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint weekend | 2 | 4 | 6 | 12 |
| Non-sprint without extra tires | 2 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
| ATA event | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
The comparisons describe regulated set allocations, not tire performance rankings. A larger soft allocation does not by itself establish that soft tires are faster, longer-lasting, or better suited to a particular circuit. The supplied figures support a count comparison only.
The 2026 Formula 1 tire and car changes
The FIA’s 2026 Formula 1 regulations update keeps the 18-inch wheel size introduced in 2022. The update also reduces front tire width by 25 mm and rear tire width by 30 mm. These are width changes, not stated changes to the listed 18-inch wheel diameter. Source: FIA 2026 Formula 1 regulations update.
The same FIA update gives a 2026 minimum car weight of 768 kg, which it says is 30 kg below the 2022 baseline. The stated 2026 weight breakdown includes 722 kg for the car and driver and 46 kg for estimated tire mass. The 46 kg figure is specifically an estimated tire-mass component in that breakdown; it should not be presented as a measured weight for every tire set or every racing tire.
The 2026 aerodynamic figures are also explicit. FIA says downforce is reduced by 30% and drag is reduced by 55%. Those percentages describe the 2026 Formula 1 update and are not claims about all racing vehicles, club-racing cars, or road-legal track tires. The tire-width changes, weight figures, and aerodynamic percentages belong to the same 2026 regulatory context.
For readers comparing generations, the clearest supplied baseline is the weight figure: 768 kg in 2026 versus a 30 kg higher 2022 baseline. The source does not provide a complete before-and-after table for every tire dimension, compound, or performance metric, so broader conclusions about lap time or grip are not supported by these figures.
Pirelli Trofeo Track availability and markings
Pirelli’s P Zero Trofeo Track page describes a DOT-marked tire available only in the USA and Canada. The line includes 17 sizes. “DOT marked” is a product designation supplied by Pirelli, while the regional availability statement identifies where Pirelli says the tire is available. Neither point establishes legal suitability for every vehicle, circuit, or local use case.
The listed Trofeo Track sizes carry detailed markings. Seven of the supplied entries use a 17- or 18-inch rim diameter, eight use a 19- or 20-inch diameter, and one uses a 21-inch diameter; this grouping is a count of the 19 supplied size entries in the research list, while Pirelli’s page states that the line includes 17 sizes. Because the supplied list and the page-level line count do not align, the individual entries are reported below without turning that discrepancy into an unsupported total.
Every supplied Trofeo Track entry includes the marking “40-A-A UTQG.” The entries also use the “TR-TR” suffix and a Y speed symbol. Those repeated markings are reproduced as listed; no additional interpretation of treadwear, traction, or temperature meaning is added here.
Trofeo Track sizes from 17 to 21 inches
Pirelli lists three 17-inch Trofeo Track sizes: P235/40ZR17 LL 84Y TR-TR, P255/40ZR17 LL 89Y TR-TR, and P275/35ZR17 LL 85Y TR-TR. Each is listed with 40-A-A UTQG. The 17-inch entries show that a single wheel diameter can still cover multiple section widths and aspect ratios.
The listed 18-inch sizes are P245/40ZR18 LL 88Y TR-TR, P255/35ZR18 LL 82Y TR-TR, P275/35ZR18 LL 87Y TR-TR, P285/30ZR18 LL 86Y TR-TR, P295/30ZR18 LL 88Y TR-TR, P315/30ZR18 LL 91Y TR-TR, and P345/35ZR18 LL 100Y TR-TR. Pirelli lists 40-A-A UTQG for each. The section-width labels range from 245 to 345 in this group, a spread that illustrates the difference between wheel diameter and tire width.
The supplied 19-inch entries are P235/35ZR19 LL 79Y TR-TR, P245/35ZR19 LL 82Y TR-TR, P265/35ZR19 LL 86Y TR-TR, P305/30ZR19 LL 91Y TR-TR, P315/30ZR19 LL 93Y TR-TR, and P325/30ZR19 LL 94Y TR-TR. Each is listed with 40-A-A UTQG. The 20-inch entries are P245/35ZR20 LL 83Y TR-TR, P265/35ZR20 LL 88Y TR-TR, and P305/30ZR20 LL 92Y TR-TR, again with 40-A-A UTQG.
The largest supplied Trofeo Track entry is P325/30ZR21 LL 97Y TR-TR, also listed with 40-A-A UTQG. The size list therefore spans 17-inch through 21-inch designations in the entries supplied by Pirelli’s product page. Fitment still depends on the vehicle, wheel, clearance, and applicable use requirements; the size strings alone do not establish compatibility.
Trofeo R fitment data
Pirelli’s P Zero Trofeo R page says Trofeo R is available in seven listed sizes. One supplied listing is 205/45 ZR17 (88 Y). For that size, Pirelli gives a 1,946 mm rolling circumference and a 6.5J-7J-7.5J rim range. Source: P Zero Trofeo R page.
The rolling-circumference figure is a product-page specification for the listed Trofeo R size, not a universal circumference for every Trofeo R tire. Likewise, the 6.5J-7J-7.5J range identifies the rim range supplied for that entry; it does not replace vehicle-maker fitment guidance.
Taken together, the Trofeo Track and Trofeo R figures show two different kinds of racing-tire statistics. Trofeo Track data emphasizes regional availability, a stated size count, markings, and a broad set of size strings. Trofeo R data adds a rolling circumference and rim range for one listed size. Formula 1 data, by contrast, emphasizes development hours, prototypes, compounds, regulated allocations, and vehicle-level dimensions. Keeping those measurement types separate makes the numbers useful without treating road-legal track tires and Grand Prix tires as interchangeable products.