Why Tuesday’s first Pirelli MotoGP test is vital for the manufacturers

The very first test of Pirelli’s 2027 MotoGP tyres will take place on Tuesday at Misano and will be a hugely significant day for the series’ five manufacturers.

Italian tyre company Pirelli will take over from Michelin as the sole supplier of the MotoGP World Championship from the 2027 season alongside the shift to 850cc engines.

Testing of 2026 machinery has been restricted until next year as part of cost-saving measures, but development of the 2027 bikes has been ongoing behind closed doors at the factories of Ducati, Aprilia, KTM, Honda and Yamaha.

Little information is known about each manufacturer’s respective programmes, though Aprilia’s head of vehicle Marco De Luca spoke a little about the Noale brand’s 2027 bike during the San Marino Grand Prix.

One of the key pillars of 2027 development revolves around Pirelli’s tyres.

Tuesday at Misano will provide the first of just two opportunities this year for MotoGP manufacturers’ test teams to try the new rubber.

This will give the factories some useful data to begin designing chassis for 2027.

How tyres impact MotoGP bike design

Speaking on his subject at Misano, Aprilia’s De Luca teased that the Noale brand has built its first engine prototype for the new regulations but was now waiting for the first Pirelli tyre data to begin chassis development.

“We are speculating about the tyres,” he said, who referred to the 2027 RS-GP as being in the “meta phase” of design.

“We don’t know the behaviour because we didn’t have yet the opportunity of computing the model of these new tyres.

“Maybe there is a little bit more input, but it could be a completely different bike in terms of balance.

“So, balance is normally what is impacting the most in terms of the design of the bike. It’s not just grip. So, I would say we don’t know, but we hope they are similar [to the Michelin].

“There won’t be many tests with these new tyres. So, hopefully Wednesday we will know something more about the tyres.

“There are two key tests at the moment. The wear is important, the behaviour of these tyres is important. So, there is a big unknown about that.”

Pirelli currently supplies tyres to the World Superbike Championship as well as Moto2 and Moto3.

How the tyres behave in those series is expected to be similar in 2027, though nobody is sure yet.

“We think we are inclined to believe they are somehow similar,” he added.

“But I’m not a tyre guy. It’s difficult to say at the moment.

“You need to think about what if the tyre will be that way, what if I’m wrong in terms consumption.

“So, you need to design the bike to have the freedom to react without jeopardising with the weight.

“We know the weight will be 153kg minimum, so you will need to have something in your pocket to play with.”