Pirelli equips the new supercar McLaren W1 with three specially designed tyre fitments made by more than 50% bio-based and recycled materials¹. The tyres dedicated to this model are the P Zero R, the P Zero Trofeo RS and the P Zero Winter 2, custom-developed for the British manufacturer's new rear-wheel-drive supercar boasting 1,275 HP.
The project is the result of close collaboration between the Research and Development teams at Pirelli and McLaren - for which Pirelli is the sole supplier - and involved true teamwork right from the initial stages of development and testing. The testing phase began in a virtual environment, utilising the most advanced driving simulation techniques, and then progressed to physical trials, which took place at various locations to assess the products' effectiveness on the McLaren W1's extreme performance across multiple climatic and road conditions: from the Nardò circuit in Puglia (Italy) and Idiada in Spain, to the Pirelli Sottozero Center in Sweden, where the most severe winter conditions can be tested all year round.
The fitments dedicated to the McLaren W1 are designed for every use of the flagship supercar, which adopts a hybrid system capable of delivering up to 1,275 hp and 1,340 Nm through the rear wheels alone. Capable of impressive acceleration from 0 to 300 km/h in less than 12.7 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 350 km/h, it also features a Race mode that generates up to 1,000 kg of downforce, demanding the very best in terms of tyre technology. The P Zero R, the first developed for a McLaren, is designed for everyday driving; the P Zero Trofeo RS, engineered for the track but also type-approved for road use, ensures consistently high performance; while the P Zero Winter 2 is available for the colder seasons. Manufactured at the Settimo Torinese plant, all three fitments feature the Pirelli Elect technology package, designed to support the vehicle's weight and the instant torque of the hybrid system.
The development of this “bespoke” P Zero versions is the first one implementing over 50% bio-based and recycled materials and is in lines with Pirelli's industrial plan targets, which aim to achieve the first products with 80% of such materials by 2030. A fundamental milestone was the 2023 launch of the P Zero E, the first high-performance tyre on the market to contain more than 55% bio-based and recycled materials², as well as achieving the triple "Class A" rating on the European label for wet braking, energy efficiency, and low acoustic impact. The logo that identifies all Pirelli tyres containing at least 50% bio-based and recycled materials was introduced starting with this product.
¹ Achieved through a combination of physical segregation and the mass-balance approach. The bio-based and recycled content varies between 14.56%–15.03% and 34.97%–35.44% respectively. Bio-based materials include natural rubber, biochemicals, and bio-resins, while recycled materials include metallic reinforcements, rubber recovered from end-of-life tyres, and - via mass balance - synthetic rubber, silica, and carbon black.
² Depending on tyre size, the content of natural and recycled-origin materials varies between 29–31% and 25–27% respectively. Natural-origin materials are natural rubber, textile reinforcements, naturally derived chemicals, bio-resins, and lignin, while recycled materials are metallic reinforcements, chemicals, and - via a mass-balance approach - synthetic rubber, silica, and carbon black.
