Oscar Piastri and Liam Lawson Shine in Mugello Tyre Test

Oscar Piastri and Liam Lawson split duties at a scorching Mugello as Pirelli’s 2027 tyre project rolled into one of Formula 1’s most punishing circuits – and the numbers told the story of two very different days’ work.

The McLaren driver logged 93 laps, 488 kilometres of running, and a best time of 1m21.358s as he cycled through Pirelli’s three hardest compounds: C1, C2 and C3. His programme built steadily, ending with a pair of 14-lap runs after earlier, shorter stints that mimicked everything from qualifying-style prep to the opening phase of a race.

On the other side of the pitlane, Lawson went long. Very long.

The Red Bull man racked up 116 laps and 608 kilometres, leaning heavily on the C2 compound as Pirelli chased comparative data rather than outright pace. He started the day with repeated eight-lap bursts, then stretched the runs into the afternoon as the Italian heat climbed and the tyres were pushed into their most brutal operating window. His quickest effort, a 1m22.297s, sat almost a second shy of Piastri’s benchmark – but that was never the point.

This was a tyre test, not a qualifying shootout.

What did matter was the environment. Mugello baked under fierce Tuscan sun, the track temperature peaking at 55 degrees Celsius. On a circuit already notorious for its relentless, high‑speed corners, the heat turned every lap into a stress test for Pirelli’s toughest compounds and a workout for the drivers’ necks and concentration.

For Lawson, the timing of the test carried an extra twist.

Just days after his recall to Red Bull for the Dutch Grand Prix, the New Zealander found himself back in the RB cockpit, this time without the pressure of points or strategy calls. At Zandvoort, he had been drafted in at short notice when Isack Hadjar was sidelined with a wrist injury. Lawson responded with an eighth-place qualifying performance and seventh in the race, banking his first points as a Red Bull driver after a brief two-race spell with the team at the start of 2025.

Now he was using Mugello’s sweeping curves to strengthen his case for more.

Red Bull still hopes Hadjar will be fit for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza next weekend. There has been no confirmation yet: either the Frenchman returns to the cockpit at the Temple of Speed, or Lawson’s unexpected run in the senior car extends by at least one more round. For a driver pushing to turn stand‑in appearances into something more permanent, every kilometre – even in a tyre test – carries weight.

McLaren’s plans are more straightforward. Piastri hands over to Lando Norris on Thursday, as the team continues to feed Pirelli’s data machine while keeping both race drivers sharp in the thick of a demanding calendar.

The second day will also reshape the cast list. Lawson steps aside for Ayumu Iwasa at Red Bull, giving the Japanese driver valuable mileage in top‑line machinery. Audi joins the programme too, with Nico Hulkenberg scheduled to drive as the future entrant continues its methodical build‑up towards full-time competition.

By the time the sun sets on Mugello’s second day, Pirelli will have banked thousands of kilometres on the C1–C3 range, teams will have gleaned a little extra knowledge from a rare test outing, and at least one driver’s immediate future – Hadjar’s or Lawson’s – may be that bit clearer heading into Monza.