Officially Confirmed: Pirelli To Take Over As Single Tire Supplier In MotoGP From 2027

By David Emmett |

As I reported last night, Pirelli is to take over from Michelin as the official tire supplier for the MotoGP class from 2027. The Italian tire manufacturer will become the official supplier for all three Grand Prix classes (MotoGP, Moto2, Moto3), as well as MotoE and the support classes. 

This means Pirelli will be the official tire supplier for both motorcycle racing world championships - MotoGP and WorldSBK - as well  as F1 in 2027. Whether Pirelli will continue as tire supplier in F1 beyond 2027 is unknown.

Dorna's stated reason for signing the contract with Pirelli is to have a single tire supplier across all grand prix classes, and in the paddock. This means they only have a single party to deal with when it comes to contracts and advertising exposure (avoiding the unfortunate spectacle of having advertising hoardings on screen for a rival tire supplier during the classes). It also frees up space in the paddock, as the amount of infrastructure needed - trucks, tire fitting space, etc - will be reduced. And it makes it easier for riders to switch between classes, not having to learn how a new tire works when they move from Moto2 to MotoGP. It may also make it a little easier to switch between WorldSBK and MotoGP, and vice versa.

The official press release announcing the new contract appears below:

Pirelli to become MotoGP™ tyre supplier from 2027

A new agreement is being finalised that will see Pirelli become single tyre supplier for the MotoGP, Moto2™ & Moto3™ categories, as the Italian tyre company is set to expand their presence into the MotoGP class

Thursday, 06 March 2025

Pirelli will become the official tyre supplier to MotoGP from 2027. A new five-year contract until 2031 inclusive, currently being finalised, will coincide with a new era for the sport as new MotoGP bikes and technical regulations debut in 2027.

The strategy of having a single supplier in the paddock will provide the perfect development ladder for the champions of tomorrow to hone their craft on their way to the top. Further details on the tyre allocations and specifications to be supplied by Pirelli will be announced soon.

Pirelli currently supply Moto2, Moto3 and much of the Road to MotoGP. Now, their presence in the sport will expand to the pinnacle of racing, MotoGP, and into MotoE™, the electric World Championship.

Michelin will remain the exclusive supplier for MotoGP and MotoE until the end of the current technical regulations, at the close of the 2026 season.

Over the next two seasons Michelin will continue to provide its technical support, its products and world class technology, assuring the safety, performance and racing which makes MotoGP the most exciting sport on Earth.

As a pioneer in world-class electric motorcycle racing, Michelin will remain committed to MotoE throughout 2025 and 2026, continuing to innovate and to make its tyres—already featuring a high percentage of renewable and recycled materials—even more sustainable.

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Comments

Can’t imagine Michelin  (except Piero ofcourse, as already explained) are too happy with how Dorna played this. Taking the decision to go for a single supplier for all classes basically sealed Michelin’s fate. That was never Michelin’s intention. Dorna knew this all too well. Pirelli too, so that could have significant rammifications on the level of the Italian offer…

Mister Emmet, any idea how much Michelin pays for the current contract? And Pirelli?
And what Pirelli will pay from 2027 on? Much appreciated.

Yesterday I thought this might be the first of April coming too soon.

Great deal for Pirelli I think.

Michelin has had enough time in the top class. What ever their goals were,  when they took over from Bridgestone, they should have had results by now.

Two more seasons to make a lasting impression on the motorcycle tyre market.

So the factories all have to develop a new motorcycle for 2027 - smaller engine, less aero and no ride-height. Will Pirelli be supplying tyres to the factories for their test teams in 2026 for development? Presumably the factories will be testing the new bikes in 2026? Or wil the first taste of the Pirelli be at the end of year (Valencia) test in 2026 or the first test of 2027? This may favour Ducati, Honda and Yamaha who run in WSBK and at least have some knowledge of the Pirellis.

That's a good question, and it still has to be defined (Pirelli have only just won the contract and have a lot of work ahead of them, and are not yet at the planning stage). 

If I had to guess, we will see the first prototype Pirelli tires go to test teams toward the end of this year, and testing in the second half of 2026 start with the Pirellis. So Jerez test 2026 would still be Michelins (usually the teams are still testing stuff for the bike for the current year there) but the next test or two will be Pirellis. But this is my educated guess, and nothing more. Not based on insider knowledge. 

Whatever the reason given by Dorna, the ongoing farce of the front tyre must surely have been a contributing factor.

Which begs the question, do Pirelli intend to dictate terms to MotoGP the same way they have with F1? A huge chunk of F1's current rules stem from Pirelli demanding a wheel and tyre construction that more closely mirrors a road tyre. It will certainly be interesting if they take that route.

Well, the contract drawn up had better stop them having spats like Michelin have had here.  But when you've got all the classes in all the formulas you tend to have a say in things.  I'd imagine that when Pirelli took MotoGP2 and 3 it was with an eye on MotoGP, an outline chat with the front tyre debacle sealing the end of Michelin.  

I mean for goodness sake!  We had the sight of MM dropping the lead for 17 laps only last Sunday, what a farce!  This one is more about Michelin out than Pirelli in but just MHO.  I think generally, a spread of manufacturers is good for sport (and tyre R & D).  

A good tyre manufacturer is invisible; just how Dunlop were.  I would imagine there's enough 4-wheeled racing out there for Michelin to jog-along to.  

Dunlop were invisible because it's Moto2 and Moto3, and nobody cares. The riders hated the Dunlops. They were rock hard and you could get twice race distance out of them. They essentially got no development from 2009-2023. I can remember one big update.

And for the record, I have Dunlop Mutants fitted to my bike and I love them as a street tire.

Cant launch a new tire without extensive testing and Dorna hasnt given or mandated anywhere near enough testing time for Michelin to make a decision. If Dorna deals with Pirelli the way they dealt with Michelin we will have even more problems. It's Dorna's fault

Michelin have been thrown under the bus by Dorna allowing a MASSIVE increase in front tyre loading via aero and ride height developments without putting any onus on the teams/manufacturers who created the issue to be any part of the solution. 
Now Pirelli get to enter the fray at the perfect time, just as that extra loading is largely negated. 
 

 

I can’t imagine the ever-present drama surrounding the Michelins didn’t have something to do with this. Maybe money was the most public rationale but I’m sure Dorna were sick of always having to defend them. Let’s not forget that Michelin ended Rossi’s and Dovi’s careers with their 2020 new rear tire (the year poor Dovi should have won the championship).

Then the whole minimum pressure controversy the past two seasons, not to mention the narrow operating window and more than occasional race day dud.

From what I understand as a WSBK casual (used to be a mega fan in the 90’s and early 2000’s) the Pirelli’s are more consistent, predictable, usable, versatile. Maybe the lap records won’t be broken anytime soon but I bet the racing will be loads better and the complaining from riders, teams and fans will go down.

Dorna didn't give Michelin enough time for testing to upgrade the front tire to keep up with the new loads

Instead of more testing time Dorna added more rounds and sprint weekends. Dorna has exacerbated the problem. I'm actually scared to see what happens with Pirelli. I wouldnt be surprised if Dorna does minimal testing for the new tires.

I see the Michelin front tire saga as a perfect storm of events. Michelin tires have always been rear biased and their first year as spec tire supplier coincided with the emergence of aerodynamic wings. A few years later covid hit and restrictions were placed on developments. Dorna took a big financial hit during covid and had to maximize profits afterward which resulted in reduced testing. Michelin was chasing a moving target as factories spent large on aero and lowering devices. And there was a reluctance to introduce a new tire without adequate testing.

It is kinda ironic that Motogp will get the long awaited new front tire prior to either Michelin's last season or Pirelli's first season. A bit of folly there.

I welcome Pirellis. Once, the Michelin smashable Front tire created the racing we had of gains under braking. When the Bridgestones came, the racing changed. The recent tires have been all about the rear grip getting maximized for drive out, and ride height gizmos plus excessive aero to suit.

MotoGP bikes are horribly unbalanced towards the rear. No reason for fault, the tire supplier offers what is ordered. 

The Pirellis will offer better fore-aft balance. And FEEL, they are a handling tire. Back comes the tuning forks and chassis development. Out goes the NASA rocket launches.

Good riddance.

With 300 horsepower is it any wonder that rear grip, acceleration and wheelie control are the highest priorities?

When 500s were racing two hundred horsepower seemed too much!

I can see the writing on the wall already haha! 
Liberty will wrap up the WSBK paddock and shut the series down. Focusing on just 3 classes in Moto GP: Controlled single make 500 twins replaces moto 3, WSBK style 1000 superstock or the current new gen WSSP replaces moto 2, Moto GP remains on 850cc machines all on Pirelli rubber........ all in name of a "Spectacle".