Pirelli
History
Pirelli was founded in Milan in 1872 by engineer Giovanni Battista Pirelli. It first became known for electric cables, then moved into rubber goods and made its first bicycle tyre before establishing itself in car tyres, notably when an Itala fitted with its tyres won the 1907 Peking to Paris race.
During the 20th century the group innovated (the textile-carcass Cinturato tyre) and expanded abroad. It spun off its cable business to Prysmian in 2005, and its real estate arm became Prelios in 2010. ChemChina took control in 2015, and Pirelli returned to the Milan stock exchange in 2017.
The brand is highly active in motorsport: exclusive Formula 1 supplier since 2011 and Superbike supplier since 2004. In sailing, from 2022 to 2024 it backed Ambrogio Beccaria and his Class40 Alla Grande-Pirelli.
Sponsoring, boats owned, run or equipped
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3 sources · updated 6 Oct 2026