MOTOGP RIDERS FACE MAJOR SETUP ADJUSTMENTS WITH PIRELLI SPEC TYRES FROM 2027

From 2027, MotoGP riders will switch from Michelin to Pirelli’s single-spec tyres, a change that goes far beyond the colour of the rubber. Speedweek reports that the move—after eleven years with Michelin—will force the five MotoGP manufacturers involved (Aprilia, Ducati, Honda, KTM and Yamaha) to build their next-generation machines around a different tyre character, at the same time as the new 2027 technical rules begin to take effect.

Speedweek highlights that the 2027 regulation package is already reshaping development priorities. Alongside the requirement to develop 850cc engines instead of 1000cc units, teams will also have to rethink aerodynamics, with less scope for innovative aero solutions. Crucially, the bike’s overall design direction will also be influenced by the Pirelli control tyre, including the reported move away from height-adjustable suspension.

To prepare for the tyre transition, Pirelli has been running early testing with riders using next year’s machinery. Speedweek notes that on 22 June in Brno (Czech Republic), some regular MotoGP riders went out together with their 2027 bikes, and that a further test is scheduled after the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on Monday, 21 September.

Pirelli Racing Director Giorgio Barbier explained why those shared test days matter. “We provide all manufacturers with different options and then decide which range we will use later,” he said. “That’s why the Brno test was so important for us, but also the one in Misano a month earlier. If all manufacturers are on track on the same day, we get the best feedback.”

Barbier also addressed why riders may initially dislike certain aspects of the new tyres. He said the current MotoGP bikes are set up around Michelin’s characteristics, and that riders have spent years learning how to ride in a way that matches that profile. “The reason riders don’t like certain aspects of our tyres is because the motorcycles are currently tuned for them,” Barbier said. “They’ve had to ride in a specific way to match the tyre’s character, and they’ve learned that over eleven years. But the new tyres have different strengths because the manufacturer is different. We won’t be making Michelin-Pirelli tyres, but Pirelli tyres. And they have to learn how to use them. That means some riders will need to change their riding style. And engineers may need to change aspects of the motorcycle. If you’ve developed your bike for eleven years around a specific tyre manufacturer and that changes, it has consequences.”

Speedweek adds that among the 22 riders expected to be on the grid for 2027, only six have extensive Pirelli experience. The four Moto2 graduates—David Alonso, Daniel Holgado, Senna Agius and Izan Guevara—already come from a class using Pirelli tyres since 2024. The other two are Toprak Razgatlioglu and his near-term successor in the production-based series, Nicolo Bulega. Speedweek reports that Razgatlioglu has won three Superbike world championships and 78 races on Pirelli, and that he is eager for the switch because, up to now, he has not been satisfied with the Michelin front tyre.