What may change and what may not

It is impossible to predict in advance which changes will stick, and how much and to what extent our lives will change, but it is safe to say that the changes that will persist are those that make our lives safer, healthier, and more efficient.

Mask wearing may be the most visible change that persists, and not just cheap surgical masks or bandanas. In many big, design-conscious cities the mask is already becoming more a fashion statement, a new feature of the personal decoration of city life that permeates these places. Masks may become walking billboards for commercial ads or political statements. Masks, visors and facial protection will be integrated into the uniforms of public workers, delivery people, police, firefighters, and security guards.

All public places – schools, theaters, shopping malls offices and mass transit will be reconfigured for physical distancing. Restaurants, cafes and gymnasiums, those that survive the pandemic, will have fewer patrons, as their tables and equipment will have been designed for physical distancing. Attendees of at large venues, such as sports venues, may continue to be subjected to have their temperatures checked.

The way we worked by going to the “office” has changed and many will continue working from home. This means reduced need for large office buildings. Still, growing urbanisation will continue. In the past, urbanisation has overcome the devastating Black Plagues, cholera and even the recent Spanish Flu which killed as many as 50 million people worldwide between 1918 and 1920. Each and every time, the economic power of cities — their ability to foster innovation and productivity by pulling together the talent of workers — has been more than enough to offset the destructive power of infectious disease. However, the current digital era may achieve similar outcomes without people clustered together in an urban setting.

On an individual consumer level, more shopping will move to online transactions with courier services delivering goods – so, brick-and-mortar shopping venues will see reduced business.

The pandemic has had a swift and severe impact on the globally integrated automotive industry and has placed intense pressure on an industry already coping with a downshift in global demand as well as the cost of shifting towards electrification. So, look for a changed industry with increased merger & acquisition activity.  

So, change is here to stay, and businesses need to pay special attention to signals being sent by consumers’ changing behavior. 

Anyway, when the pandemic and all its related crises finally ebb and we are on the road to recovery in a few months or a couple of years from now, we will have the opportunity to look back and see what has changed!

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Dr Suttipong Angthong, Secretary-General of the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC), delivered a keynote address at the Sustainability in Tires 2026 conference in Bangkok on 3–4 September 2026, presenting the organisation's positions on eco-friendly supply chains, market dynamics and ethical production methods vital to the global tyre sector.

His participation highlighted ANRPC's leadership as the principal representative of rubber-producing nations, working to guarantee that smallholder farmers and member countries help shape global sustainability criteria while building strategic alliances with tyre makers and processing firms.

Through such international engagement, ANRPC promotes environmentally responsible cultivation, equitable commerce and traceable supply networks, connecting the natural rubber industry to worldwide ESG frameworks and safeguarding a durable, sustainable future for every stakeholder.

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Pirelli’s Hard tyre played a decisive role as Kimi Antonelli won the inaugural Formula 1 race at the Madring, mastering a one-stop strategy to take victory in the Spanish Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver finished ahead of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, extending his World Championship lead in the process.

All three podium finishers made their sole pit stop during a Virtual Safety Car period between laps 14 and 15. Antonelli and Norris swapped Pirelli Mediums for Hards, while Verstappen replaced his starting Softs with Hards. The one-stop approach proved dominant across the grid, with only George Russell, Carlos Sainz, Oliver Bearman, Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas stopping twice.

Track temperatures peaked at 52°C and air temperature reached 32°C, mirroring conditions from earlier in the weekend. Russell, Antonelli’s closest title rival and team-mate, came home fifth. Antonelli now leads the standings on 292 points, with Russell second on 211. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix follows on Saturday 26 September.

In supporting action, Dino Beganovic won Sunday’s Formula 2 Feature Race ahead of Alex Dunne and Ritomo Miyata, all three running Softs before Hards and pitting on lap 18. Ugo Ugochukwu secured the Formula 3 World Championship by finishing second in Madrid, as Freddie Slater’s eighth place allowed the title swing. Tuukka Taponen won the finale, with Pedro Clerot third.

Dario Marrafuschi, Pirelli Motorsport Director, said, “The teams approached today's race differently from what had been simulated on track on Friday. Thanks also to the opportunity provided by the Virtual Safety Car, they favoured a more measured management of pace and degradation, which allowed them to significantly extend stint lengths and made the one-stop strategy the preferred choice for the majority of the field. The star of the Grand Prix was the Hard tyre, a compound that had been little explored during free practice and which today demonstrated a very high level of consistency, proving to be the most robust of the three compounds from both a thermal and mechanical perspective. With the C2, we saw several stints exceeding 45 laps, reaching very high levels of wear without any significant performance drop-off. Both the Medium and the Soft also proved to be effective options despite the track temperatures. The C4, in particular, completed competitive stints comparable to those of the Medium in terms of durability.

“As expected, graining appeared mainly on the front-left tyre, on the inner area of the tread, but with limited intensity. The work carried out by the teams on car setup and tyre management helped to minimise its effects. In a race characterised by few overtaking opportunities, the drivers were able to focus on tyre management, contributing to a very straightforward contest from a strategic perspective. Congratulations to Ugo Ugochukwu for securing the Formula 3 championship title today at the end of a highly competitive season. The series continues to represent an important proving ground for young talents from all over the world. The fact that the title was decided only at the final round highlights the exceptionally high level of competitiveness within the championship, which this year delivered spectacular racing and outstanding sporting value.”

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Hankook Tire is set to exhibit at IAA Transportation 2026, the world’s premier commercial vehicle trade fair, taking place in Hannover, Germany, from 15 to 20 September. The company will present its newest truck and bus radial (TBR) tyre technologies and products at the event.

Since first appearing at the exhibition in 2010, Hankook Tire has now participated in its commercial vehicle segment six times, including this year. IAA Transportation gathers leading global automakers and suppliers to display cutting-edge technologies and mobility solutions.

The company’s display will feature its SMARTEC-based portfolio for trucks, trailers and buses. SMARTEC, an advanced TBR technology system, targets five performance areas: safety, mileage, anti-chip and cut resistance, retreadability and braking. New products developed for trailers and heavy-duty cargo trucks and tractors in winter conditions will also debut. Application-specific lines include Smart Line for long-haul transport, Smart Flex for regional and long-distance use and e-SMART City for electric city buses.

Hankook Tire will further present fleet operation solutions such as the Laufenn LF95+ trailer tyre, the Alphatread retread tyre solution and the Hankook Smart Fleet tyre management system. Future mobility innovations will be shown through two Design Innovation Project outcomes: a 3D-printed Sustainable Concept Tyre and WheelBot 2, which has a three-axis spherical tyre structure.

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The British Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (BTMA) has secured a one-year mandate to represent Europe’s national tyre trade bodies on the Tyres Europe Board of Directors. The decision was made during the first meeting of the newly created National Associations Leadership Council, a body intended to improve coordination between national and European industry representatives.

The Council includes associations from UK, Spain, Italy, France, Poland, Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia, and the Netherlands. It will serve as a platform for exchanging views on sector-wide issues, identifying matters of broader European significance and feeding national perspectives into Tyres Europe’s discussions.

As the Council’s chosen representative, BTMA Chief Executive Darren Lindsey will relay shared priorities to the Board and report back on relevant outcomes. For BTMA members, this offers earlier and more detailed insight into European-level discussions, plus a direct route to raise UK concerns on trade, enforcement, end-of-life tyres and product regulation in Brussels alongside eight other national markets.

Lindsey said, “This is a genuine step forward for the national associations, and the BTMA is grateful for the confidence its European colleagues have shown in asking us to hold the seat. Our job over the next year is a simple one to describe and a demanding one to do well: to make sure the Board hears not just the UK view, but the common thread running through nine national markets and to bring back what we learn so that every association benefits. Members need to understand the associations they belong to and the value those associations create, and where that picture is changing it should be discussed at Tyres Europe level as part of our collective strategic thinking, not in isolation. That culture of open exchange is what this Council exists to build.”

Adam McCarthy, Secretary General, Tyres Europe, said, “The Leadership Council strengthens the mutually beneficial exchange of information between Tyres Europe and the national associations. National insights can better inform discussions at European level, while associations gain a clearer view of relevant EU developments. This closer two-way exchange will support more coordinated and effective representation of the sector.”

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