The Netcompany-Ineos pro cycling team has announced Pirelli will provide the team’s tyres, with its swap from Continental having already begun at the start of November in a three-year deal.
Netcompany-Ineos’ announcement describes Pirelli as the team’s new “tyre and performance partner” and suggests the tyre maker will not only supply the team’s tyres from next season, but also co-develop new tyres with it, with the objective of producing “increasingly advanced road cycling tyres”.
Netcompany-Ineos says its decision to change tyre providers from Continental was based on its technical evaluation of the P Zero Race SL-R tyre, which Pirelli launched in March this year and the team's continuing search for marginal gains in performance.
Pirelli claimed when it launched the P Zero Race SL-R that its testing showed it was the fastest road tyre in the world, and up to 15 watts faster than the P Zero Race RS, thanks in part to its patented spoiler moulded into the tyre’s lower sidewall.
The older P Zero Race RS also formed part of Netcompany-Ineos' evaluation, with the announcement highlighting its “balance of rolling efficiency, grip, protection and predictable cornering behaviour”, suggesting this will be the team’s preferred tyre for the early-season races.
Commenting on the partnership, Geraint Thomas, now director of racing at Netcompany-Ineos, said: “Pirelli bring a huge amount of technical expertise and a real commitment to innovation, so it's exciting to have them working closely with our riders and performance team.
"It's not just about the equipment we race on, but how we can work together to keep developing, so we're really looking forward to building that relationship and seeing what we can achieve together.”
Continental had been the team’s tyre provider since its founding as Team Sky, back in 2010, so the change is a significant development. Conti is far from short of WorldTour teams riding its tyres, though. It is still tyre provider to eight men’s teams, including UAE Team Emirates-XRG, which went the other way, switching from Pirelli to Continental tyres in 2023.
