‘A huge amount of technical expertise’: Netcompany-Ineos switch to Pirelli tyres from 2027

Netcompany-Ineos will race on Pirelli tyres next season after signing a three-year partnership with the Italian brand. The deal started on 1 November and makes Pirelli the team’s “Tyre and Performance Partner”. The tyres will make their race debut on the team’s Pinarello bikes at the Tour Down Under in January.

The team rode Continental tyres in 2026, the same season it moved to Scope wheels. Pirelli already supplies Lidl-Trek and Alpecin-Premier Tech in the men’s WorldTour.

Geraint Thomas became the team’s Director of Racing after retiring at the end of 2025. He said Pirelli’s staff would work directly with the riders.

“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,” he said.

The team tested two of Pirelli’s tyres before agreeing the deal. The P Zero Race SL-R is designed to cut aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance for fast days. The P Zero Race RS balances rolling efficiency with grip, puncture protection and predictable cornering across different surfaces and weather.

Pirelli’s technicians will work alongside the team’s engineers and research and development staff. They will feed the riders’ comments from racing into the tests run by the company’s Outdoor Testing Department.

Aldo Nicotera, head of Pirelli’s motorcycle and cycling business, said what the company learns from the team would shape the tyres it sells to amateur riders as well.

“We will have the opportunity to work alongside world-class technical staff and athletes, making the most of this exchange and gathering valuable insights to drive the ongoing development of increasingly advanced tyres that meet the needs of both professional riders and cycling enthusiasts,” he said.

The tyre deal is the latest change at the team this year. It raced as Netcompany-Ineos for the first time at the Giro d’Italia in May, after the Danish IT company signed a five-year co-title sponsorship.

Thomas said the team was “really looking forward to building that relationship and seeing what we can achieve together”.