Verstappen and Hadjar call out Pirelli's wet tyres ahead of cold Las Vegas

Interlagos was the first weekend of 2026 to be properly affected by rain. Aquaplaning and a narrow operating window made conditions more dangerous than the drivers had expected. Pirelli has responded that its tyres did what they were supposed to do.

Verstappen climbed from 21st on the grid to finish second behind race winner Norris. After the race, he was critical of both the intermediate and the extreme-wet compounds. "I think it's mainly that the working range is a bit too small," the Red Bull driver said. "When they're hot, it's okay, but when they're cold, they're really like a rock."

The Dutchman wants a wider operating window, so drivers are not trying to build up grip while also coping with poor visibility and standing water. "That's something that we need to try and work on, to generate a bigger working range on the Extreme Wet and the Inter," he added.

Hadjar was even more direct. He qualified fifth on Saturday and went on to take his third podium of the season on Sunday. "I think [on Saturday], running an Extreme Wet compound, I didn't think there was a crazy amount of water on the track, and yet to me it felt like there was too much aquaplaning considering the conditions.

Norris believes the next race could show the problem most clearly. Low temperatures in Las Vegas already make tyre warm-up difficult, even in the dry.

Pirelli rejected the drivers' view of the weekend. "Overall, both the Intermediate and the Soft performed in line with expectations, offering teams several strategic options in a race defined by uncertainty over the conditions," motorsport director Dario Marrafuschi said.