Ferrari and Racing Bulls join Pirelli’s 2027 tire testing at Imola

Pirelli continued its development program for the tires that will be used in the 2027 Formula 1 season with a two-day test at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, better known as Imola, with Ferrari and Racing Bulls taking part.

The first day featured Scuderia Ferrari race drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, who were tasked with evaluating prototype tires for the 2027 season.

Seven-time World Champion Hamilton was behind the wheel during the morning session, with Leclerc taking over in the afternoon.

The program focused on the three softest compounds in the range, C3, C4 and C5. Both drivers completed five-lap performance runs with different options for each compound before moving on to longer runs to assess the most suitable solutions.

Hamilton completed 64 laps, covering 314 kilometers (195 miles), with a best time of 1:19.485. Leclerc completed 63 laps and covered 309 kilometers (192 miles), setting the fastest time of the day with a 1:18.832.

Track temperatures reached a peak of 50°C (122°F), while the air temperature rose to 32°C (90°F).

Racing Bulls and Ferrari complete the second day

The second and final day of Pirelli's tire development test at Imola brought Racing Bulls into the program, with Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad sharing driving duties in the VCARB car alongside Scuderia Ferrari's Antonio Giovinazzi.

Track temperatures reached 49°C (120°F), while the air temperature peaked at 31°C (88°F).

Lawson, who had contested the previous three Grands Prix for Red Bull, completed a series of performance runs on the C3 and C4 compounds during the morning before switching to longer runs on the C4 in the latter part of his program.

Lindblad followed a similar program. During his afternoon running, the young British-Swedish driver tested the C3 and C5 compounds.

Giovinazzi worked exclusively with the C3 compound, carrying out both qualifying simulations and long-distance runs.

Lawson completed 65 laps, covering 319 kilometers (198 miles), with a best time of 1:18.471.

Lindblad completed 73 laps and covered 358 kilometers (222 miles), setting a best time of 1:18.454.

Giovinazzi completed the busiest program of the day, running 135 laps for a total of 663 kilometers (412 miles), with a best time of 1:19.894.