Pirelli racing boss Barbier: “Don’t lose your head over MotoGP”

Over the course of more than 20 years, Pirelli has gained a wealth of experience at the very highest level in the World Superbike Championship and, since 2011, as the official tyre supplier to Formula 1. From 2027, the Milan-based company will supply tyres for MotoGP as well as Moto3 and Moto2, and will consequently withdraw from the production-based SBK paddock.

“Our approach is always the same,” stated Pirelli’s head of racing, Giorgio Barbier, in an exclusive interview with SPEEDWEEK.com. “What we do in motorsport is intended to ensure that we bring better products to market.”

Pirelli currently holds an enormous market share amongst amateur racers; Michelin’s stated aim is to take a large slice of that pie from 2027 onwards by becoming the tyre supplier for the Superbike World Championship and its supporting classes.

Pirelli knows: customers don’t buy a €1,000 tyre

“We’re always concerned about competitors because we know what potential and capabilities they have,” said Barbier. “As things stand, however, we have more to offer than the others because, over recent years, we’ve learnt how to position our products in the market using the experience we’ve gained in racing. That’s not easy, nor is it something that can be achieved in just one or two years. To do so, you have to adapt not only the product but also the company’s mindset. You can produce a prototype tyre for 1,000 euros today. But if you want to sell a production tyre tomorrow, it has to be much cheaper. The end customer wouldn’t accept it if you passed on such costs to them. Striking the right balance between quality, performance, versatility and price is ultimately what leads to success.”

MotoGP opens up the opportunity for us to explore new areas.

Pirelli racing director Giorgio Barbier

Topic of the week

World Champion Kimi Antonelli: record-breaker, heart-breaker, the Tifosi’s dream

With his third-place finish at the Mexican Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli has become the youngest of the 36 Formula 1 world champions to date. The 20-year-old Italian is on a record-breaking run. The Tifosi are dreaming of Antonelli in a Ferrari.

Read More

TV Program

Live

Losail: International Livestream

MotoGP World Championship

06.11.2026 - 10:55

The Italian emphasised: “We want to carry on as we have been; that’s our approach. If we don’t lose our heads over MotoGP, we’ll continue to create better products in the future. MotoGP gives us the opportunity to explore areas that we’ve been less able to tackle in the past. We can design the tyres more effectively and work with new materials, which will lead to improved quality as well as greater environmental sustainability. We’ve been doing this in Formula 1 for some time now.”