PIRELLI ENDS THE 2026 FIA EUROPEAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON WITH THE TYRE MANUFACTURERS’ TITLE AND FIRST AND THIRD IN THE DRIVERS’ STANDINGS
Pirelli concludes the 2026 FIA ERC season in Fafe with two drivers in the top three of the overall standings and a second consecutive Tyre Manufacturers’ title. Alongside Teemu Suninen’s drivers’ title, secured in Wales with one round to spare together with the tyre manufacturers’ crown, Andrea Mabellini finishes third in his Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale.
Underpinning these results is the competitiveness of the entire range, from the various P Zero asphalt specifications to the new Scorpion AT gravel tyres, which made their European championship debut this season. These tyres were developed to meet very different demands: withstanding the high temperatures and abrasive roads of Rome, finding grip on the slippery asphalt of Poland and the Czech Republic, and delivering traction and braking performance on Scandinavia’s fast gravel stages.
TWO FULL-SEASON DRIVERS, MORE CONTENDERS ON INDIVIDUAL EVENTS
Suninen and Mabellini were the only frontrunners supplied by Pirelli throughout the European championship season. The Finn built his title-winning campaign on victory in Poland and second-place finishes in Rome, at the Barum Rally and at Rali Ceredigion.
Their efforts were complemented by the results of crews contesting selected rounds: from Mikko Heikkilä’s victory in Scandinavia to Roberto Daprà’s win in Rome and Giandomenico Basso’s podium finish at the season opener in Spain. Achieved by different drivers on different surfaces, these results all contributed to securing the Tyre Manufacturers’ title.
Pirelli-equipped crews won 45 of the season’s 101 special stages, accounting for 45% of the total. On asphalt, they claimed 32 wins from 68 stages, or 47%, while on gravel they won 13 of 33 stages, equivalent to 39%.
TERENZIO TESTONI, RALLY ACTIVITY MANAGER
“This season rewards the work of our drivers and the entire team, as well as a clear technical commitment: to keep developing the range even when our products are already competitive. With the Scorpion AT, we introduced a new tread pattern and improved compounds; with the P Zero, we focused on compound development. The results came on both surfaces and in very different conditions. Suninen converted his speed into a title through a remarkably solid and consistent season, while Mabellini and the crews contesting individual rounds made a vital contribution to our success in the manufacturers’ standings.”
SCORPION AT: A WINNING DEBUT
The main technical innovation for 2026 was the Scorpion AT gravel range, featuring a new tread pattern — the only asymmetric, non-directional design in the championship — developed to improve traction and braking performance, together with upgraded compounds. Heikkilä’s victory at Rally Scandinavia, on the tyre’s European championship debut, immediately confirmed its competitiveness: the Finn won using both the soft and supersoft compounds in the varying conditions encountered over the weekend.
On asphalt, P Zero development focused on optimising the compounds to address the different temperatures, levels of abrasiveness and grip encountered throughout the season.
