Pirelli creates McLaren W1 tyres with recycled materials

Pirelli has equipped the new McLaren W1 supercar with three bespoke tyre fitments made from more than 50 per cent bio-based and recycled materials: a figure certified by independent body, Bureau Veritas.

These new tyres – P Zero R, P Zero Trofeo RS, and P Zero Winter 2 – have been specially developed by Pirelli in collaboration with McLaren and are offered in an exclusive specification for the new model, for which Pirelli is the sole tyre supplier.

This latest project involved close cooperation between the Research & Development (R&D) teams at Pirelli and McLaren, from the earliest stages of development and testing.

Initially working in a virtual environment – supported by state-of-the-art driving simulation technology – the engineers progressed to physical tests to assess tyre performance in differing weather and surface conditions.

Locations included the Nardò circuit in southern Italy, Idiada track in Spain, and Pirelli’s Sottozero Centre in Sweden – all ideal venues for exploiting the extreme high-performance of the W1.

The new tyres developed for the McLaren W1 cover every aspect of use for the flagship supercar, which features a hybrid powertrain capable of delivering up to 1275PS and 1340Bm through the rear wheels alone. Capable of astonishing acceleration of 0-300km/h in less than 12.7 seconds and a maximum speed electronically limited to 350kph, it also has a Race mode that generates up to 1000kg of downforce, demanding the very best in tyre technology.

The P Zero R, the first developed for a McLaren, is designed for daily driving; the P Zero Trofeo RS is a track-biased tyre that delivers consistently high performance, while colder seasons are handled by the P Zero Winter 2. All three tyres for the W1 will be produced at Pirelli’s plant in Settimo Torinese, Italy.

The bespoke P Zero tyres are the very first supercar tyres made with over 50% bio-based and recycled materials. This milestone is part of Pirelli’s industrial plan, which aims to launch the first tyres containing 80% of these materials by 2030.

A key step on this journey was the launch of the P Zero E in 2023: the first high-performance tyre on the market to contain more than 55 per cent bio-based and recycled materials and feature a triple A certification on the European tyre label.

This tyre also introduced the logo that now identifies all Pirelli products containing at least 50 per cent sustainable materials.