Starting in 2024, Pirelli will be the exclusive tyre supplier not only for the Superbike World Championship, but also for Moto2 and Moto3. Currently, Michelin supplies tyres for MotoGP, but the Italian company does not completely rule out the possibility of entering the premier class in the future, according to Giorgio Barbier – Pirelli’s moto racing director.
The Italian explained to GPOne.com that although costs have reduced with the end of the «tyre war», they still remain too high: ‘The world of competition among tyre manufacturers has changed since the advent of the single tyre in SBK. Over the years, all top-level motorcycling has moved in that direction. So, as there is no longer competition from this point of view, which was very expensive for everyone, the important thing is to make this kind of work sustainable. When we introduced these products to the market in the early 2000s, we had to create products that had sustainable costs because we had to offer them to the market. The costs of prototypes were disproportionate, and I think they still are today’.
With that said, Barbier acknowledged that if MotoGP follows the way of financial and environmental sustainability, Pirelli will be attentive: ‘For me, the challenge in this world will be to have bikes and tyres that cost less and are more environmentally sustainable. If MotoGP follows this way, as it seems to be doing, we will all be close in the paddock to see what happens’.