French tyre supplier Michelin’s new-for-2026 Pilot Sport Endurance Hypercar and GTP slick tyres are almost ready for action, following a lengthy and comprehensive development and test programme that began with early concept work way back in 2022.
The new tyres, revealed today ahead of the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours, will be in use during the 2026, 27 and 28 racing seasons. They feature a bold, striking look with a visible tread pattern (which handily will differentiate if a tyre is brand new or used) to symbolise the steps forward in sustainability. That ‘tread’ (pictured below) serves only a visual purpose and will disappear on the first lap of most runs.
And it’s sustainability and innovation that are the headlines here, as these tyres have met the French constructor’s ambitious targets. The range incorporates 50 per cent renewable and recycled materials, up from just over 30 per cent in the current tyres used in Hypercar and GTP.
This has been achieved by developing and utilising a blend of elastomers (natural rubber), fillers (recovered carbon black), and plasticisers (bio-oils, bio-resins, and recycled steel), building on the foundations laid by the racing demonstrator it unveiled in 2024, which incorporates 71 per cent renewable materials. Remarkably, only two materials didn’t make the cut from the demonstrator: recycled styrene and PET (Polyethylene terephthalate).
Going further, Michelin will begin recycling the tyres used in the FIA World Endurance Championship by 2026, too. Each tyre used in competition will be broken down through pyrolysis (decomposition via high temperatures) using a process developed in partnership with the Swedish organisation Enviro. Carbon black will be recovered from this process and used to create new materials for use in passenger car tyres.
This aligns with Michelin’s environmentally conscious corporate roadmap, in which it is committed to achieving a 40 per cent renewable and recycled material milestone across its range by 2030 (up from 31 per cent today) and 100 per cent by 2050.
Beyond that, Michelin is looking to improve the capabilities of its Hypercar tyres with this new range of slicks.
Most importantly, they aim to improve warm-up from cold in the absence of tyre warmers in both the FIA WEC and IMSA. Analysis from testing has shown that the tyres will reduce the time it takes to reach optimal temperatures after exiting the pits.
This is welcome progress for an area that has been in the spotlight on and off since the WEC’s tyre warmer ban was introduced in 2023.
Currently, Michelin says teams are losing around five to six seconds on the softs and 10 to 13 seconds with the mediums on out laps when racing on standard Grand Prix circuits.
Despite the increase in sustainable materials used, Michelin believes its tyres also tick three additional boxes: the wear rate has been reduced, consistency has improved, and they produce similar, if not marginally faster, lap times, though “the aim was not to go quicker,” Pierre Alves, Michelin Motorsport’s sportscar operational manager, points out.
“When we first began testing, we were exploring a range of potential sustainable materials, and we had feedback from drivers that the tyres felt the same, and for us, that ticked a box; that’s what we want. What we want is to have tyres that perform well on all tyres and all tracks,” he continues.
“When we tested in Qatar, we found something that worked well for warm-up and produced very good lap times, but the wear wasn’t as good. We had to find a compromise.
“We don’t really consider these ‘soft’, ‘medium’ or ‘hard’ compounds; they are ‘cold’, ‘medium’ and ‘hot’ really. We have to cater for different types of cars (LMH, LMDh, hybrid and non-hybrid), so we need a good crossover from one spec to another.”
In terms of durability, the potential to use the tyres for up to five consecutive stints at Le Mans (conditions permitting) with “no compromise in performance” is targeted after year one.
“We need the status quo next year, then after that, once we have knowledge and data, the aim is to reduce the number of tyres used during events,” Alves adds.
Once we have knowledge and data, the aim is to reduce the number of tyres used during events
What could this look like in practice? A double stint format for six-hour races may become the norm, with each team handed three sets instead of four and a half like they are now in the FIA WEC.
Crucially, though, in the WEC (not in IMSA), the plan is to continue utilising two of the three specifications at each WEC race aside from Le Mans, where all three are available. There is also an ongoing discussion about the number of specs made available to teams at Daytona in the future.
To develop these tyres, Michelin has had to work around the restrictions on track testing imposed by the rule-makers, which have limited it to two to three days a year.
Thus, in addition to visiting key circuits around the world, such as CoTA, Paul Ricard (where DSC was in attendance), Portimao, Qatar, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Spa, and Watkins Glen during the development process of the 2026 compounds, Michelin has utilised cutting-edge simulation tools to conduct virtual tests with tyre models.
“At every stage, we create a virtual tyre,” Philippe Tramond, Michelin Motorsport’s technical director, says. “It lets us assess the car’s dynamics, thermal effects and performance consistency over time. Michelin has some of the most advanced simulation software in the sector; we can go very deep into key data.”
It has also utilised two state-of-the-art tyre testing machines in Clermont-Ferrand, France: a rolling machine which can test slip angles and a ‘Record’ machine designed in-house.
The latter, in particular, has proven to be vital. It can simulate the forces and speeds of specific circuit layouts on tyres using real-world car setup data. “We try to reach the limit of the tyre until it loses pressure, and we use this before every race as well as in development,” Alves explains.
The track testing phase proved complex. A combination of adverse weather, which disrupted a key test in Portimao, and supply issues for key materials, led to a year-long delay in the introduction of the new rubber.
“We started thinking of what the specification would be at the end of 2022,” Alves explains. “We had a loop in Portimao in March of 2023, but it wasn’t successful because of the rain. That’s why it took nearly two years of development work, because we are not allowed to test whenever we want.”
Nevertheless, Michelin has persisted, making the most of each opportunity for dry running. Although the LMH and LMDh manufacturers are not obliged to take part, all of them are handed an open invitation to attend the tyre tests and have (unsurprisingly) welcomed the opportunities with open arms.
For instance, on-site at Paul Ricard for the final European validation test, Alpine, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Porsche, and Toyota were present and received a run plan to execute. Aston Martin had initially planned to attend, but a car-destroying accident in testing at Spa ahead of last month’s WEC event there impacted its ongoing testing schedule.
Running with a single base setup throughout the day, the drivers were asked to complete a mixture of long and short runs over 10 hours, using three prototype specs with the finalised casing and different compounds, as well as a reference tyre, to help Michelin fine-tune its options.
There is one more test to come at Watkins Glen later this month before a design freeze in July, ahead of the final decision on which compounds will make the cut.
Production will then get underway and ramp up from September to December ahead of the 2026 season. It’s a mammoth task, and the time frame is tight.
The plan is to keep these tyres in place for two or three years
To put the numbers into perspective, Michelin produces 30,000 top-class prototype tyres a year across its IMSA, FIA WEC and test programmes, and on average, takes 2,000 tyres to each event.
During the production phase, a virtual tyre model will also become available to manufacturers for simulator testing. Michelin will also take its new range to the IMSA-sanctioned tests in Daytona in November, ahead of their global race debut at the Rolex 24 Hours next January.
The job is by no means complete when the ’26 season starts, either. Michelin will continue to work with each manufacturer at every step and begin planning for the future.
In the background, it has been developing a new wet compound, which will debut once it gets through its current stock. The tender process for Hypercar tyres from 2030 is also expected to commence soon, giving the chosen supplier ample time to develop a range.
“The plan is to keep these tyres in place for two or three years, with the potential for a new range by 2029. We are already in discussion to introduce a new tyre line by 2030 if the category is going to be extended and if Michelin is still the sole supplier for endurance,” Tramond says.
“We have already thought about what we could do to push the level even higher.”
Images courtesy of DPPI & Michelin
