What tyres will the teams and drivers have for the 2026 United States Grand Prix?

Next up on the 2026 F1 calendar is the United States Grand Prix, held at Austin's Circuit of The Americas – and tyre suppliers Pirelli have confirmed the compounds that will be in use throughout the weekend.

For this year's event, the C2 has been selected as the hard compound, with the C3 as the medium and C4 as the soft. This marks a change from last season, when Pirelli brought three non-consecutive compounds (the C1, C3 and C4) for what was a Sprint weekend.

The usual Grand Prix format is in place this time around, so 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 Austin circuit, which is 5.513km long, features a mix of high-speed corners, rapid direction changes and slower sections that demand strong traction," reads Pirelli's weekend preview. "To be competitive, teams must combine good straight-line speed with efficient aerodynamic load through the more technical sections, an aspect that becomes even more important with the current generation of Formula 1 cars.

"From a tyre perspective, COTA places demands on both axles. In the first sector, characterised by fast corners and direction changes inspired by some of Europe’s great circuits, the front tyres will be placed under particular stress. In the third sector, meanwhile, the numerous acceleration zones out of slow corners will tend to generate thermal degradation primarily on the rear tyres.

"The asphalt surface is not particularly abrasive. A section of the circuit between Turns 9 and 11 was resurfaced earlier this year. However, the ageing effect on the remainder of the track continues to be significant and contributes to high wear levels. Tyre wear, rather than graining, could therefore prove to be one of the key factors over the weekend. During last year's event, several tyres reached very high wear values.

"Track grip is generally good, aided by the support categories, including the Porsche Carrera Cup North America, which has been supplied by Pirelli since the start of this year. Track evolution, on the other hand, has traditionally not been among the most pronounced on the calendar.

"From a strategic standpoint, the presence of the C2 as the hard compound could favour long stints, offering teams a solid option for what is likely to be a one-stop race. However, the high temperatures that typically characterise the Texan weekend must also be taken into account, as they could increase degradation and open the door to alternative strategies."

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