Michelin has decided to delay the introduction of its new FIA WEC Hypercar and IMSA GTP class tires by a year, to the start of the 2026 season.
The French tire manufacturer’s decision comes in the wake of a test with the new rubber at Circuit of The Americas last week, which formed part of a multi-day run at the Austin-based circuit for the majority of the WEC’s Hypercar manufacturers ahead of Lone Star Le Mans.
According to Michelin, several reasons led to the delay, including the fact that its dry tire test program in Europe earlier this year at the Autodromo do Algarve was severely disrupted by adverse weather.
A company spokesperson also told RACER that strategically, Michelin feels there is no need to move quickly to a new range due to the capabilities of its current offering and believes that this move will give its engineers ample time for fine-tuning.
“Michelin is currently developing its new range of Pilot Sport tires for endurance racing,” Michelin endurance racing program manager Pierre Alves said in a statement supplied to RACER. “The aim of this future range is to improve warm-up, particularly on harder compounds, while improving consistency and durability. The new tires will also contain more renewable and recycled materials. Initially scheduled for introduction next season, the new range will finally hit the track in 2026.
“In agreement with all its partners and the sporting authorities, Michelin has decided to take more time, as there have been fewer test opportunities this year than expected.
“The current Michelin Pilot Sport Endurance range is perfectly suited to the requirements of the FIA WEC and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship grids and has already been integrated into the BoP process. So, we’re going to continue with it in 2025.”
The debut of the new tires is now expected to take place in January 2026 at the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona.