What tyres will the teams and drivers have for the 2026 Sao Paulo Grand Prix?

The 2026 F1 season marches on this weekend with the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, held at the ever-entertaining Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace – and tyre suppliers Pirelli have confirmed the compounds that will be in use throughout the weekend.

For this year's event, the C3 has been selected as the hard compound, with the C4 as the medium and C5 as the soft. This marks a shift towards the softer end of the range compared to last season, when Pirelli offered the C2, C3 and C4 over what was a Sprint weekend.

Drivers will get two sets of the hard tyre (marked white), three sets of the medium tyre (marked yellow), and eight sets of the soft tyre (marked red), as well as access to the green intermediate tyre and the blue full wets, should they be required.

An extra set of softs is reserved for those who reach Q3 in Qualifying, while all drivers must use at least two different slick compounds during the race, providing the track is dry.

"The Brazilian circuit features several changes compared to last season," reads Pirelli's weekend preview. "During the year, resurfacing work was carried out on the section between Turns 3 and 5 and between Turns 8 and 9.

"These newly surfaced areas could alter grip levels and track evolution over the course of the weekend, particularly affecting tyre behaviour over longer runs. The three free practice sessions will provide an opportunity to assess track evolution and understand how the new surface influences degradation and wear.

"Twelve months ago, tyre degradation was one of the key technical factors in Sao Paulo. Although graining was less pronounced than initially expected, the C2 compound (used as the hard tyre that year) showed some tendency to slide, while the C3 and C4 displayed significant degradation, albeit still allowing competitive stints. The most effective strategy proved to be a two-stop race.

"In terms of tyre loads, Interlagos generates overall lateral forces that are broadly average, while combining several high-speed corners with long straights. The layout therefore does not place extreme demands on the tyres, with loads distributed fairly evenly between the front and rear axles.

"The numerous overtaking opportunities offered by the circuit’s flowing layout give teams a degree of strategic flexibility, but managing degradation traditionally remains the key factor in maximising race performance. Finding the right balance between single-lap pace and tyre management over longer stints will be one of the main objectives of the teams’ trackside work during the Brazilian weekend.

"It is also worth remembering that, because of the event’s position in the calendar, Interlagos is a circuit where rain and significant temperature fluctuations are often a factor. Intermediate and full wet tyres could therefore come into play in Brazil once again this year."

For more information about Pirelli’s F1 tyres, visit pirelli.com.