Pirelli has confirmed the tyre compound options for the Miami Grand Prix, with teams receiving the three softest mixtures: C3, C4 and C5. The first United States race of the Formula 1 season takes place next weekend in Florida following a lengthy break caused by the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix. The championship resumes on a street circuit built around the Hard Rock Stadium, featuring a 5.412-kilometre layout over 57 laps.

The Miami International Autodrome presents 19 corners and three long straights on asphalt resurfaced in 2023. The track surface has low roughness and gains grip as the weekend progresses. A notable characteristic observed last year was the circuit’s ability to dry very quickly, demonstrated during the Sprint when drivers switched from intermediates to slicks despite heavy rain before the start.

Fewer uncertainties are expected in race strategy due to historically limited tyre degradation in Miami, allowing drivers to extend stints and complete the Grand Prix with only a single pit stop. Neutralisations remain a factor on Sunday, as precision is crucial on any street circuit. Last year’s victory by Oscar Piastri followed a straightforward approach, with drivers splitting between Medium and Hard compounds before a mid-distance pit window.

Of the four editions held around the Dolphins’ stadium, half have been won by Max Verstappen, while McLaren drivers have shared the last two victories. Lando Norris won in 2024 followed by Piastri in 2025, though neither McLaren driver has ever secured pole position at this event. Verstappen has two poles, with the others taken by Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez.

The entire Miami weekend operates under the Pirelli banner, as all support categories are supplied by the Italian company. The second round of Formula 2 has been relocated to Florida, joined by the McLaren Trophy North America and the Porsche Carrera Cup North America. The latter series now receives Pirelli’s P Zero DHG compound introduced last season.

The Miami podium cap, designed by Denis Dekovic for Pirelli Design, draws inspiration from a sea predator with grey shades resembling shark skin. The animal is also referenced by visor stickers depicting jaws or body. The special edition cap is already available for purchase online.

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Maxam Tire has broadened its range of solid skid steer tyres by launching the MS705 NM, a non-marking iteration of its current MS705 model. The new tyre targets construction machinery operated indoors or on surfaces where leaving marks is undesirable.

By pairing the resilience of a solid tyre with a non-marking tread compound, the MS705 NM suits jobs that demand protection for finished flooring and other delicate surfaces. Its solid design removes the risk of punctures and sidewall failures while also doing away with regular air pressure checks, which helps lower maintenance demands.

The tyre incorporates a three-stage, all-rubber build and an aperture sidewall that together produce a gentler ride. Steel ring reinforcement internally works to prevent wheel slip, while a heat-resistant cushion centre compound adds durability for tough applications. With this non-marking option, Maxam now gives customers greater flexibility in matching skid steer tyres to specific jobsite needs.

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Evonik, a global speciality chemicals company, has outlined a three-year strategy to sharpen its focus and accelerate growth, assigning distinct roles across its business portfolio and setting specific tasks for its major German sites. Targeted growth projects are also intended to improve the group's geostrategic balance. To fund these investments, the company is relying on its Evonik Tailor Made restructuring programme to further reduce its cost base. The plan involves cutting 3,200 jobs worldwide, with roughly 2,150 of those losses falling in Germany.

At the annual strategy meeting, the executive and supervisory boards reviewed plans through 2030. Interim CEO Claus Rettig said the industry faces a structural and economic crisis, and Evonik will use this polycrisis to reshape old structures and improve its positioning. Many parts of the business are still growing, so efforts will concentrate on strengths, future topics and lucrative markets, with better cost positions creating room to manoeuvre.

Transformation will proceed at every level. Healthcare and biotechnology projects in Canada and Slovakia, worth several hundred million euros, will strengthen the portfolio, while business units are aligned by role as growth drivers or cash generators. A new business line, Designed Polymer Solutions, bundles growth areas in aerospace, automotive and gas separation, including biogas and hydrogen. Asia and America offer strong opportunities, and further investments there are under review. Each of the six major German sites will receive a clear profile, with implementation starting shortly.

Evonik is also exiting activities with no internal prospects. Rettig said long-term leadership requires leading in what the company does, and volatility demands flexible responses. Closures of smaller sites fit this approach, and divestments of C4 chemicals and infrastructure are progressing as planned. Tailor Made's second phase begins in 2027 and runs to 2029. Measures will be finalised by late 2026, including unfilled vacancies, early retirements and voluntary severance departures. Chief Human Resources Officer Thomas Wessel said Evonik has long lived social responsibility and maintained intensive dialogue with employee representatives, and this transformation will be completed together.

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Continental recently showcased its new TerrainContact A/T2 tyre during a five-day driving event in Iceland, held from 14 to 18 September 2026. Journalists and invited customers tested the tyre across winding roads, rugged highlands, glaciers and volcanic terrain.

Starting at Þingvellir, the group travelled through Iceland's Western Highlands and the Kaldidalur valley, where gravel routes highlighted the tyre's blend of on-road comfort and off-road traction. The TerrainContact A/T2 targets pickup and SUV owners who mainly drive on pavement but require extra grip when conditions change.

Compared with its predecessor, the tyre offers better wet braking and snow traction while preserving a quiet ride and off-road ability. A new tread compound boosts wet performance, greater tread depth aids snow grip, and optimised zig-zag grooves and traction teeth add control on loose or snowy surfaces. It carries the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake symbol and is engineered with electric vehicles in mind.

Okan Sen, National Marketing Manager, Continental Tire Canada, said, “The TerrainContact A/T2, as one of the best-balanced performance all-terrain tyres in the market, was developed for drivers who want the freedom to explore without compromising their everyday driving experience. Iceland was the perfect setting to bring that versatility to life, giving attendees the opportunity to experience the tire across the kind of changing terrain it was designed to handle.”

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A new Oxford Economics study commissioned by Tyres Europe underscores the tyre sector's vital economic and social contribution, arriving as Brussels shapes its Industrial Accelerator Act to reinforce European industrial competitiveness. The report, titled ‘The Critical Importance of the EU Tyre Industry’, makes the case that EU industrial policy ought to encompass the finished products sustaining Europe's economy and essential services, rather than focusing solely on raw materials and technologies.

Through the lens of tyres, the research maps the relationships between European manufacturing capacity, reliance on external sources and the smooth operation of mobility, freight and public services. It concludes that EU-produced tyres potentially enabled freight, agriculture and passenger transport, directly yielding EUR 1.5 trillion in GDP – 9 percent of the EU's total – and providing work for 30.5 million people, 13 percent of EU employment.

The study further reveals exposure on both sides of the tyre value chain. Imported intermediate inputs constitute 11.9 percent of EU tyre production value, exceeding the EU economy average of 7 percent, while natural rubber supplies depend wholly on imports. In 2024, imported tyres made up 40 percent of newly fitted tyres across the EU, a proportion that continues to climb.

Adam McCarthy, Secretary General, Tyres Europe, said, “Economic resilience depends not only on access to materials but also on retaining the capacity to transform them into safe, advanced products in Europe. The Industrial Accelerator Act is an opportunity to recognise strategically-important finished products and support competitive manufacturing in Europe. A strong EU tyre manufacturing base reduces reliance on external suppliers and helps build a more resilient, competitive automotive value chain.”

Pete Collings, Managing Director, Oxford Economics, said, “Europe’s tyre industry is far more than a manufacturing sector: it is a critical enabler of mobility, trade and wider economic activity. Our analysis shows that EU-produced tyres support hundreds of billions of euros in GDP and millions of jobs across key customer sectors, while the industry itself depends on complex global supply chains. The findings underline the economic value of maintaining a strong European tyre manufacturing base.”

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