Pirelli will again make its E1089 soft-compound development front tire available to Moto2 riders at the Austrian Grand Prix, following its debut at the Aragón Grand Prix. The development specification uses a different compound from the SC1 soft tire while retaining the same structure. Pirelli says the E1089 could provide greater stability under braking at the Red Bull Ring, which features numerous braking zones and significant deceleration. The front allocation also includes the SC1 tire, allowing riders to compare the two specifications.
At the rear, Pirelli will retain last year’s allocation, with the SCX supersoft available to riders. The tire was used as the E0126 development specification in 2025 and was selected by the race winner for both qualifying and the race. The alternative is the SC0 soft tire, which was also tested at the Red Bull Ring last year as a development specification and could be suited to lower temperatures.
In Moto3, riders will have the SC1 soft and SC2 medium compounds available for both axles. In 2025, Argentina’s Valentin Perrone (KTM) secured both Saturday’s pole position and Sunday’s race victory using the combination of the SC2 front and SC1 rear, the latter being unanimously chosen by all riders on the grid, while the two available front options received an equal number of selections.
The Red Bull Ring is an atypical circuit, measuring just over four kilometers and featuring 11 corners, including eight right-handers and three left-handers. Its layout includes demanding braking zones, heavy deceleration and pronounced changes of direction, placing emphasis on braking stability, corner entry and traction when accelerating from low-speed corners. As the asphalt generally offers low grip and limited tire wear, weather conditions could be significant this year, with the race taking place in early autumn rather than mid-August, potentially resulting in lower temperatures.
Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli’s motorcycle racing director, said, “The Austrian Grand Prix represents a further opportunity to continue the development work on Moto2 front tires, which began in Aragón and continued at Misano. On a track that differs significantly from MotorLand Aragón, with severe braking, strong acceleration and few high-speed corners, we will once again make the E1089 soft front specification available. This will allow us to broaden its evaluation and continue the comparison with the range SC1. The objective is to gather further data and feedback that will be useful for the development of this solution.”
Barbier continued, “At the rear, we are confirming last year’s allocation with the SCX, which also originated as a development tire. Introduced in 2025 as the E0126 specification and subsequently added to the range, it is now the category benchmark. If weather conditions are favorable, it will be interesting to assess the performance gains compared with last season, both over a flying lap and across race distance. In the event of lower temperatures, riders will also have the range SC0 soft at their disposal, which was introduced at the Red Bull Ring in 2025 as the E0125 development solution.”
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