Known for its style, speed and performance marketing values, Pirelli & C. S.p.A. is a multinational company based in Milan, Italy, listed on the Milan Stock Exchange since 1922, with a temporary privatization period by the consortium led by the Chinese state-owned enterprise ChemChina.
Technology, sustainability and support for young talent – Pirelli states that these are the three cornerstones of its 2022 motorsport campaign. During a live-streamed press conference hosted by Mario Isola, the tyre maker’s head of motorsport, supported by rally activity manager Terenzio Testoni and GT circuit activity manager Matteo Braga, Pirelli set out its plans and priorities for the year.
A new generation of hybrid-powered rally cars that generate more than 500 hp and over 500 newton-metres of torque make their debut when the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship season begins with the Rallye Monte-Carlo, which gets underway on 20 January. This presents a fresh challenge to Pirelli as the Italian company enters its second season as exclusive supplier to the top category and new-look support series. To equip these cars, Pirelli has optimised the entire range of P Zero, Scorpion, and Sottozero tyres to cope with these tech-rich vehicles’ extra weight and additional torque.
Pirelli is supplying original equipment tyres for the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition, the fastest and most powerful version of the first all-electric SUV produced by the Blue Oval. A new technical collaboration between Pirelli and Ford has resulted in a tailored version of the P Zero, which the Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition will wear in size 245/45R20 103Y XL. The tyre features the ‘Elect’ marking on the sidewall, which denotes Pirelli tyres dedicated to electric and hybrid vehicles.
Porsche has selected Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres for the latest Cayenne Turbo GT. The crossover SUV will wear the P Zero Corsa in size 285/35ZR22 XL (106 Y) at the front and 315/30ZR22 XL (107 Y) size on the rear. Both fitments bear the NO marking which identifies them as tyres specifically developed for Porsche.
The President of Italy has received a delegation from Pirelli, headed by executive vice-president and chief executive officer Marco Tronchetti Provera, to mark the company’s upcoming 150th anniversary. Tronchetti Provera described the meeting with President Mattarella as a “great honour” for him and the Pirelli contingent.
Pirelli will introduce a new tyre for GT racing next year, the P Zero DHF, and for the first time the one tyre will equip all the main classes in this competition. The DHF will take over from the DHE that debuted in GT3 at the start of last year as well as the DHB used in GT4 and will additionally be used for the GT2 class.
Max Verstappen and Red Bull used a fresher but used Pirelli P Zero soft tyre to overcome Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes on a 43-lap old hard tyre in a single lap showdown to win the Formula One Drivers Championship. The controversy about how F1 contrived to supply this conclusion to the 2021 season at Yas Marina continues to rage. The intense coverage beyond the usual race weekend press generated by the controversy builds upon a season in which F1 has considerably refreshed its profile; it has gained improved global interest via the Netflix documentary Drive to Survive, a roster of drivers invigorated by some new faces, and a schedule expanding outside its traditional European base. Exclusive tyre supplier Pirelli’s head of F1 and car racing Mario Isola said: “It’s been an absolutely incredible season with some of the most intense competition we can remember: a fitting way to close the chapter on 13-inch tyres before starting a new one with 18 inches.”
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina this weekend will be the last race in Formula 1 history run on 13-inch tyres. After more than half a century of racing on this tyre size, Pirelli is introducing its new 18-inch tyres in 2022. To celebrate the changing of the guard, all the 13-inch slick tyres used in Abu Dhabi will carry a special logo on the sidewall: ’Next year I turn 18’ – underlining the switch to 18 inches by bidding farewell to the current tyres before welcoming the new size next year.
Pirelli & C. SpA views its inclusion in CDP’s its Climate A list 2021 as confirmation that it is a “global leader in the fight against climate change.” It is one of just three tyre makers to gain a place on the international non-profit organisation’s list, the others being Bridgestone Corporation and Michelin Group.
A decade after the first agreement, Pirelli, Milan Polytechnic and Polytechnic Foundation have signed off a three-year continuation of their ‘Joint Labs’ programme, which centres upon research projects that advance tyre-related technological innovation.
Every year, Pirelli awards just nine of the more than 14,000 suppliers throughout its global chain for distinguishing themselves in making the tyre maker’s supply chain even more sustainable, innovative and of the highest possible quality. Announcing the recipients of its 2021 Supplier Awards, Pirelli says the main selection criterion was care for the environment through an increasingly sustainable supply chain – with lower CO2 emissions, high quality, innovation, speed and global presence.
Japan’s Itochu Corporation announced today the commercial launch of Project TREE, an initiative that uses a blockchain-based traceability system to ensure the sustainability and traceability of natural rubber. Partners participating in the Project include Itochu subsidiaries and tyre manufacturers, and the UK will be the first market to benefit.
The Pirelli Calendar 2022, featuring photography by Canadian guitarist Bryan Adams and presented in a vinyl LP sleeve, has launched with an online event. Adams’s images celebrate stars of popular music, including historical icons Cher and Iggy Pop. As well as a self-portrait, the first time the photographer has been included as a calendar subject in its 48th edition, Adams has written a song using the calendar’s title, ‘On the Road’, which will feature on his next album. Pirelli says the calendar’s launch represents a landmark for the company, as it marks a return after the pandemic crisis interrupted its annual publication schedule and because it coincides with Pirelli’s 150th anniversary.
The executive vice chairman and CEO of the Pirelli Group, Marco Tronchetti Provera, was recently named as a Commander of the Romanian order of “Industrial and Commercial Merit” in appreciation of his “important contribution to the strengthening of the bilateral relationship” between Romania and Italy.
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