F1 tyre compounds explained: C1 to C5 in 2026
A clear guide to Formula 1 tyre compounds as of the 2026 season: C1 to C5 slicks, the dropped C6, wet tyres, and weekend allocation choices.
Formula 1 tyre compounds are built around a simple trade-off: more grip usually means faster wear, while more durability usually means less peak performance. As of the 2026 season, the dry slick range runs from C1 to C5, with the planned C6 dropped for that year.
Dry compounds
The dry-weather slick tyres are the tyres used in normal conditions on a dry track. As of the 2026 season, Formula 1's slick range runs from C1, the hardest compound, through to C5, the softest. In broad terms, C1 is intended for circuits that put high energy through the tyres, while C5 is aimed at tracks where teams can use a softer tyre without excessive wear.
That range exists because no single compound suits every circuit. Harder compounds usually last longer and resist overheating better, but they tend to offer less outright grip. Softer compounds usually switch on more quickly and can deliver more cornering and braking performance, but they wear faster and can lose performance sooner over a stint.
Pirelli had planned a C6 for 2026, but that compound was dropped for the 2026 season. So, for that season, the dry slick family remained a five-step range from C1 to C5 rather than extending to a softer sixth option.
Wet-weather tyres
Formula 1 also uses treaded tyres for rain and low-grip conditions. The intermediate tyre is designed for a damp or drying track, or for conditions with standing water that are not severe enough for the full wet. It has grooves to clear water while still working across a relatively wide range of conditions.
The full wet tyre is the most rain-focused option in the range. It is intended for heavy rain and significant standing water, with a tread pattern built to move more water away from the contact patch. In simple terms, intermediates cover the crossover conditions, while full wets are for the worst weather.
How tyre allocation works
Although the full dry range exists across the season, teams do not get every compound at every Grand Prix weekend. The per-event allocation is chosen each weekend, with a smaller subset of the slick range selected for that circuit. Those nominated compounds are then labelled hard, medium and soft for that event, regardless of where they sit in the full C1-to-C5 scale.
That means the soft tyre at one race is not necessarily the same underlying compound as the soft tyre at another. One weekend's soft could be drawn from the middle of the range, while another event might use the softest available option. The idea is to match tyre behaviour to the circuit and expected conditions, while preserving the same basic strategic choice between pace, tyre life and stint length.