In my opinion it’s important that Dorna understood that it’s a good thing to have a single supplier for all its championships. We have shown we can do this, from Formula 1 to World Superbike and the other classes.
We are able to do all of this, so this gave the promoter the option to talk with just one tyre partner, to have one big sponsor from this point of view and to give an image boost for the tyre manufacturer.
These are the things that might’ve changed Dorna’s mentality. In any case, I suppose they understood that from Pirelli’s work in MiniGP, JuniorGP, Moto2 and Moto3 that we can do these things, so now they are trying MotoGP with us as well.
MotoGP has a problem with high corner speeds, which are threatening its greatest tracks – Mugello, Phillip Island and Brno – so did this subject feature in your negotiations with Dorna? Basically, that MotoGP can’t keep chasing faster and faster lap times?
Not precisely from this point of view. We’ve had a lot of this kind of talk over the years in Superbike, where we play different roles and give them different solutions. For example, when the super pole race was born – around ten laps and 50 kilometres – we helped by giving special tyres – the SCQ – to make the show better and help the riders enjoy these races.
Barbier and Dorna’s Carlos Ezpeleta shaking hands on Pirelli’s Moto2 and Moto3 deal, starting in 2024
Pirelli
But this hasn’t happened with MotoGP’s sprint race. Who made choice, the [tyre] manufacturer or Dorna? I don’t know, but we will talk about this with Dorna. For sure, we’d like to bring something different, we’d like to have a better show for everyone, because this is part of our job – to help the promoter and the riders to have something better.
I understand all of this, we are all playing this together and we have some plans. I think this is the way we will follow in MotoGP, aiming for good performance but not pushing too much on performance
Dorna and IRTA used to pay Dunlop for its Moto2 and Moto3 tyres, which were given to teams for free, while Michelin gave its tyres for free. Is this how it will work with Pirelli?
This is a matter of contract, so I cannot comment.
Pirelli has a lot of championships to service – so how many race tyres will you produce each year?
When we started making tyres for World Superbike in 2004 [Pirelli was motorcycle racing’s first spec-tyre supplier, five years before MotoGP] we went from making a few hundred tyres, using special machinery and processes in a special department, to moving all the production to Germany, where we have standard production lines.
In the beginning this was a big restraint for us and for our engineers, but in the end we can say it’s the best move we could’ve made because now we are able to produce hundreds of thousands of slick tyres, which means we can control the process and the quality to make an affordable product.
Moto3 action: Dani Holgado leads Angel Piqueras and Joe Kelso at COTA last year
Pirelli
You are in a kind of monopoly situation now, supplying tyres for all Dorna’s championships, so how can Dorna be sure you won’t take advantage?
It’s important that the promoter understands that having a tyre manufacturer as a partner is important, not only because you get a sponsor, but also because it helps you manage the championship in a certain way. So you have to trust in the tyre manufacturer and work with them in order to improve the championship.
This is what we’d like to have in MotoGP, as we have in World Superbikes – to be part of the show. It’s not a matter of power; it’s a matter of partnership.
When do you want to start testing and which riders will test the tyres? Presumably factory MotoGP test riders? And will you start with WSBK tyres and then go from there?
We would like to start as soon as possible. Now we are preparing tyre sizes for the [current] MotoGP rim sizes, so we can’t start with superbike tyres, which aren’t suitable for MotoGP bikes anyway, so we will put all our knowledge into this and then we will be ready to test.
Of course, we can’t ask the riders that are playing for the championship to be part of the first tests, so these tests will be with test riders, using MotoGP bikes. The question now is when will the 2027 bikes be ready and what can we do now? Because we need to start this season and not wait for 2026.
MotoGP test riders are going to be busy!
There are some manufacturers with concessions and others without, so some manufacturers will test more than others. And then we have to consider this: will some of the manufacturers still have concessions or will they all be on the same level? These are decisions that Dorna must take, then we will go ahead.
So you will obviously have to start with 1000cc bike?
Why not? But we cannot take this decision, so we have to wait.