Pirelli

Pirelli & C. SpA is a diverse (it does many things) company based in Milan, Italy. It operates in many countries.

Pirelli & C. SpA
Joint stock company
IndustryConglomerate
Founded1872
FounderGiovanni Battista Pirelli
HeadquartersMilan, Italy
Key people
Marco Tronchetti Provera (Chairman and CEO), Alberto Pirelli (deputy chairman), Carlo Alessandro Puri Negri (deputy chairman)
ProductsTyres, broadband Internet networking devices, teal estate investing, environmental technology, environmental remediation, renewable energy technologies
Revenue4.462 billion (2009)[1]
€217.4 million (2009)[1]
€22.7 million (2009)[1]
Number of employees
29,570 (2009)[1]
SubsidiariesPirelli Tyre S.p.A.
Pirelli Broadband Solutions S.p.A
Pirelli & C. Real Estate S.p.A
Pirelli Labs S.p.A.
Olimpia S.p.A.
Websitewww.pirelli.com

History

 
The Pirelli Tower in Milan in 1958, during construction, photographed by Paolo Monti.

Pirelli was founded 1872 in Milan by Giovanni Battista Pirelli. Pirelli initially worked in rubber and related processes. The company used to make scuba diving rebreathers (a special type of underwater breathing machine).[2] Pirelli's activities are still focused on the building of tyres and cables (for energy and telecommunications). In 2005, Pirelli sold its cable division to Goldman Sachs, which changed the new group's name to Prysmian.

In the 1950s, Alberto Pirelli had the famous Milanese skyscraper built. It is in the same area as the first Pirelli factory in the 19th century.[3]

In 1974, Pirelli invented the wide radial tyre. This was at the request from the Lancia rally racing team. They needed a tyre strong enough for their new Stratos.

Later, Porsche started using the same tyres with the Porsche 911 Turbo.[4]

Today, the wide tyres are still the standard in sport & racing cars.

Marketing

The Pirelli Calendar is published once a year. It often features famous actresses and fashion models. The calendar also features the work of many well respected fashion photographers.

The Pirelli Internetional Award is given annually for the best international multimedia involving the communication of Science & Technology conducted entirely on the Internet.

Power is nothing without control is the slogan of Pirelli Tyre Company.

Pirelli is the long time main sponsor of Italian football club F.C. Internazionale Milano.

Sponsorship

Pirelli has a history of sponsoring football teams. Pirelli is known for its long term primary sponsorship of the Italian football team Internazionale Milano F.C. Pirelli also supports rally. Pirelli Star Driver is an project to support young rally drivers. It is organised by Pirelli and the FIA.

Motorsport

Since 2007, Pirelli is the only tyre brand used in the FIM World Superbike Championship. The tyres are also used in the support classes.

Pirelli has the contract for the control tyre supply in the British Superbike Championship. This contract started in 2008 and will last until 2010 at least.[5]

Pirelli is the official tyre supplier of the World Rally Championship. They replaced BF Goodrich for the 2008 season.

Formula One

Pirelli competed in Formula One in three distinct periods. The first time was between 1950 and 1958. The second time was between 1981 and 1986. The third time was between 1989 and 1991. They started 200 Grands Prix races, and won 44 of them.

Pirelli will return to the sport in 2011 as the sole tyre supplier. Bridgestone decided to withdraw as the supplier at the end of 2010.[6][7][8]

To test the new F1 tyre, Pirelli signed Nick Heidfeld. A 2009 version of a Toyota Racing chassis is being used to test the tyres. The testing is taking place during the second half of the 2010 season.[9] In September 2010, Heidfeld was signed by Sauber to race the remainder of the season. Pirelli then hired former GP2 and Renault F1 driver Romain Grosjean to test for them.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Annual Report 2009" (PDF). Pirelli & C. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-06-05. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  2. Coates, JK; Kincaid, TC; Lanphier, EH (1952). "Evaluation of the Pirelli Underwater Oxygen Breathing Equipment for Use in the Naval Service". Navy Experimental Diving Unit Technical Report. NEDU-RR-2-52. Archived from the original on 2014-10-08. Retrieved 2009-03-16.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. Skyscrapers, Antonino Terranova, White Star Publishers, 2003 (ISBN 8880952307)
  4. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-02-29. Retrieved 2010-09-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "British Superbikes 2007". Archived from the original on 2008-03-20. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
  6. Bridgestone to Cease Tire Supply to the FIA Formula One World Championship. Bridgestone. 2009-11-02. http://bridgestone.com/corporate/news/2009110201.html. Retrieved 2009-11-02. 
  7. "World Motor Sport Council: 23/06/2010". fia.com. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 2010-06-23. Archived from the original on 2010-06-26. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
  8. Collantine, Keith (2010-06-23). "Pirelli return to F1 after 20-year absence". F1 Fanatic (Keith Collantine). http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2010/06/23/pirelli-return-to-f1-after-20-year-absence/. Retrieved 2010-06-23. 
  9. Elizalde, Pablo (2010-08-17). "Heidfeld released by Mercedes GP". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 2010-08-17.

Other websites