Pirelli, first official MotoGP test: concerns over a Marquez-favoring tire

On Monday, June 22, after the Czech Republic GP, a MotoGP test day will take place in Brno ahead of the 2027 season. On this occasion, the factory riders will have the chance to ride the new 850cc prototypes with Pirelli tires for the first time. It’s not yet clear how many riders will take part, or who, but Marc Marquez’s presence is certain.

Pirelli is eagerly awaiting Monday’s test in Brno, which will allow it to gather a large amount of useful data for next year. From 2027, the sole tire supplier will change, with Michelin leaving the MotoGP class to make way for the Italian brand. We still don’t know exactly how many riders will take to the track the day after the race, since many will switch liveries next season. For example, Valentino Rossi’s VR46 team has announced it will not take part in this test.

Few factory riders will remain loyal to the same brand at the end of this championship. They are Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia), Toprak Razgatlioglu (Yamaha), Diogo Moreira (Honda), and Ducati riders Fermin Aldeguer (from Gresini to VR46) and Marc Marquez. KTM will not have any contracted rider available and will have to continue relying on test riders in Brno. Some manufacturers, however, do not rule out the possibility of joining the MotoGP test even if their current riders are switching garages. As in the case of Joan Mir, who at the end of the season will leave Honda to race with Gresini’s Ducati.

Monday’s test will be important not only for Pirelli, but also for the teams, which must continue to develop the 2027 prototypes. Private testing has been underway for months: in October 2025 Pirelli delivered a first batch of 70 tires to each manufacturer for private tests. A second delivery of the same quantity took place at the end of last April.

Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli Moto’s Motorsport Director, confirmed that this test will be crucial to understand which carcasses best suit the new bikes and to develop a tire capable of meeting different needs. Official tests will take place after Brno (behind closed doors) and on the race weekends at Spielberg and Valencia. Since the contract with Michelin expires at the end of this MotoGP season, test riders are not yet authorized to release specific comments on Pirelli tires.

So far, private tests have yielded positive impressions from the manufacturers. The only issue is that no factory rider has yet tested the Milanese brand’s tires. On Monday, Bezzecchi, Marquez, Aldeguer, Moreira, and Razgatlioglu will definitely be on track. Naturally, feedback from the multi-time champion Marc Marquez could be given particular consideration by the new tire supplier. But Barbier immediately clarified: "No, Pirelli’s intention is not to develop a ‘Marquez tire’. That does not match our way of working or our style. It’s clear that the riders who are able to provide us with more information and more accurate feedback will receive more attention."

This is exactly what has happened from 2004 to today in Superbike: the most sensitive and the fastest riders have always had more say than others. Even so, Pirelli’s priorities have always been twofold: to comply with the promoter’s wishes, as tires can also become a balancing factor; and to meet its own commercial needs and brand prestige. Taking on the role of sole tire supplier entails enormous costs, so Pirelli will also aim to recreate in MotoGP an economic model that has worked very well in Superbike.

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