Founded in Milan in 1872 by Giovanni Battista Pirelli, the company initially specialized in rubber and derivative processes. Its early history included the production of scuba diving rebreathers and dry suits for Italian frogmen during World War II. Following the war, the firm focused on tyres and cables for energy and telecommunications. In the 1950s, Alberto Pirelli commissioned the Pirelli Tower in Milan, built on the site of the company's original 19th-century factory. Pirelli has been sponsoring sport competitions since 1907. In the past, it had been involved in fashion and operated in renewable energy and sustainable mobility.
A significant technical breakthrough occurred in 1974 when the company invented the "wide radial tyre." This was developed at the request of the Lancia rally team, which required a tyre capable of handling the power of the Lancia Stratos. Existing radial tyres were too narrow and prone to destruction, while cross-ply slick tyres were too stiff. Pirelli’s 1975 solution—a wide tyre with a reduced sidewall height and radial structure—was later adopted by Porsche for the 911 Turbo.
Pirelli’s involvement in Formula One spans several eras: 1950–1958, 1981–1986, 1989–1991, and its current tenure as sole supplier beginning in 2011. During the modern era, the company has managed various technical mandates. In 2011, the brief was to design tyres that degraded rapidly to increase pit stops and overtaking. By 2017, the mandate shifted toward producing tyres with less degradation and higher resistance to overheating to accommodate the fastest cars in the sport's history. The 2025 Dutch Grand Prix marked Pirelli's 500th Grand Prix entry.
Pirelli served as the sole supplier in the World Rally Championship (WRC) from 2008 to 2010. During its history in the series, the manufacturer has secured 181 event wins and supported 25 Driver Champions, including Colin McRae in 1995 and Sébastien Loeb from 2008 to 2010. Pirelli would again become the sole tyre supplier in all three tiers in 2021.
The company has faced technical challenges and controversies during its Formula One tenure. At the 2013 British Grand Prix, multiple tyre failures occurred, leading Pirelli to change its tyre construction to incorporate Kevlar belts. During the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel experienced a blowout at 320 km/h. While Pirelli initially attributed the failure to excessive wear, a subsequent detailed analysis determined the cause was a cut in the tyre.
Pirelli currently operates 19 manufacturing sites across 13 countries. In Formula One, the company utilizes a color-coded identification system for its compounds. Since 2019, dry-weather P Zero tyres are marked white (hard), yellow (medium), and red (soft). Wet-weather Cinturato tyres are marked green (intermediate) and blue (full wet). For the 2022 season, the company transitioned from 13-inch rims to 18-inch rims, increasing the tyre diameter from 660 millimetres to 720 millimetres.
Pirelli maintains a broad presence across multiple motorsport disciplines:
GT Racing: Official supplier for GT World Challenge America since 2011 and GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup since 2013.
Formula Series: Supplier for FIA Formula 2, FIA Formula 3, and the F1 Academy.
Motorcycle Racing: Sole supplier for Moto2 and Moto3 starting in 2024, with a contract to become the MotoGP premier class supplier from 2027 to 2031.
Cycling: Returned to road cycling in 2017 with the P ZERO Velo range and introduced Scorpion mountain bike tyres in 2019.
Sports Cars: Exclusive supplier for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series from 2008 to 2010.
The Pirelli Calendar has been published since 1964, featuring the contributions of many famous photographers. Pirelli has a long-term primary sponsorship of the football club Inter Milan between 1995 and 2021.