Pirelli replaces Dunlop: ‘Moto2 lap times should be much faster’

Having spent seven years on Dunlops in Moto3 and Moto2 before switching to Pirelli in World Supersport and now World Superbike, Philipp Oettl is well placed to describe the tyre change facing the smaller grand prix classes next season.

Peter McLaren

04 Jul 2023

Philipp Oettl , Emilia-Romagna WorldSBK, 3 June

Dunlop has been the exclusive supplier for Moto3 and Moto2 since the four-stroke championships took over from the previous 125 and 250cc classes.

But it has now been announced that Pirelli, which also supplies leading national SBK series such as BSB, will take over the Moto2 and Moto3 tyre deal from 2024.

Oettl worked his way steadily towards the front during his six seasons in Moto3, culminating in victory at the 2018 Spanish Grand Prix.

A move to Moto2 the following season proved less successful, the German failing to score a point and promptly switching to World Supersport, where he was an instant frontrunner.

The 27-year-old then graduated to the WorldSBK class with GoEleven Ducati in 2022 and has a best finish so far of fifth place.

“When I speak with track day riders, there are always two types of people. One who prefers the stability of the Dunlop and the other who prefers the grip of the Pirelli,” Oettl explained.

“My Moto2 season was in 2019 but I think the [Dunlop] tyres didn't change a lot. They were really, really difficult to understand and the Pirelli tyre, for example, was really easy to understand because it moves more, so you get a bit more feedback from it.”

Pirelli is to supply its Diablo Superbike slick tyres to both grand prix classes, which it says reflects the company’s philosophy of ‘We sell what we race, we race what we sell’.

“I think that the lap times, especially in Moto2, should be much faster if they use the Superbike-spec Pirelli tyres,” said Oettl.

“The only thing is that they race for quite a long race distance [in Moto2]. So I think they will bring maybe the harder tyre, like SC0, SC1.

“I still think for the riders it will be easier to understand the tyre and maybe also the field will be closer together. But I also think it will be harder to manage the tyre [over a race distance].”

“With the Dunlop, there was only one way”

One of the unique features that grand prix riders will need to get used to is that softer Pirelli tyres are used in hotter conditions and, to avoid the risk of cold tearing, harder spec tyres in cooler temperatures. In other words, the opposite of Dunlop and Michelin.

“This is something you have to adapt to. Dunlop has a certain philosophy and Pirelli have a different philosophy. Also Michelin,” Oettl said.

“The riders will just need a little bit of time, but I think they don't need as much time as for the Dunlop tyres, because Dunlop tyres are difficult to understand.”

Oettl then highlighted the case of Izan Guevara, who dominated last year’s Moto3 world championship but is yet to score a point in Moto2.

“When you look at the Guevara, for example, he's a really, really good rider, he's Moto3 world champion. But he has a hard time to understand the [Dunlop] tyre,” Oettl said.

“At least that's what I think because when I moved up, I wasn't a Moto3 world champion, but it was also difficult for me to really understand the tyres.

“I think [the change to Pirelli] is a good thing and will also help the transition from Moto3 to Moto2 because the tyre is easier to understand and you can get away with different riding styles.

“With the Dunlop, there was only one way, I think, of how you can be fast. With Pirelli, it's a little bit more easy.”

Moto2, powered by 765cc Triumph engines since 2019, currently has leading lap times around 2.5s (Sachsenring) to 6.5s (COTA) slower than the MotoGP class.