2026 marks the final season of Michelin’s current stint as the sole tyre supplier for MotoGP since taking over in 2016, and it will make one key change to its supply for its final year.

Since taking over from Bridgestone 10 years ago, Michelin has provided three front tyre compounds at each MotoGP race weekend: soft, medium, and hard. Until 2022 it also provided three rear compounds per weekend, but this changed in 2023 when only soft and medium compounds were available at the vast majority of tracks.

2026 will see Michelin move in the same direction on the front tyre, with only two options per weekend.

Michelin Two-Wheeled Motorsport Manager Piero Taramasso says this is a part of its general objective since entering MotoGP of reducing the amount of tyres it makes for the championship.

“The only big change [in 2026] is that we'll only have two front rubber specs, and no longer the three we had until this year,” Taramasso told Motorsport.com.

“Each driver will have seven tyres of the softest compound and seven of the hardest, which will allow us to reduce the number even more. 

“So we will end our 11-year cycle having achieved our goal of having a range that is getting smaller and smaller, but still being effective. 

“In fact, it's getting better and better, as year after year the performance has improved.”

Michelin’s drive to reduce its tyre output has seen its number of different tyre specifications reduce dramatically over the past seven years.

“In 2018 we were at 59 specifications, and in 2025 we are at less than 30,” Taramasso explained.

“So we have reduced the specifications by 50 per cent and we continue on that path, always with respect for sustainability.”

Michelin had tried to introduce a harder front tyre construction for the hottest races on the calendar in 2025, but Taramasso admitted that this introduction was largely unsuccessful and riders preferred the standard construction.

“In the races in Asia we opted for a stiffer front shell, but I must admit that it was not very successful,” he said.

“Some used it, but in general the riders and teams preferred to stick with the specifications they knew best.”

2027 will see Michelin replaced by Pirelli, which has supplied WorldSBK since 2004 and Moto2 and Moto3 since 2024, while Michelin will replace Pirelli in World Superbike.