There is something genuinely fascinating about watching abstract laboratory science turn into burning rubber on a racetrack. As part of the Women Shifting Gears series, Gea Prioglio, R&D Materials Specialist in the Moto Racing Compound Development, has opened up about her remarkable journey into the paddock.
Her technical path started long before she ever set foot in a racing garage. With a natural curiosity and a drive to build things, she pursued materials engineering and nanotechnology engineering to understand how atoms bond to create physical properties. That academic focus led her straight to rubber compounds, graphene, and nanographene during a master’s thesis and a doctoral program in collaboration with Pirelli. Working inside their labs, she transitioned from raw materials chemistry to scaling processes up to industrial production.
Then came a fateful weekend in 2025. Attending the Misano WorldSBK round purely as a spectator with a set of spare tickets, she was instantly hooked by the speed, the atmosphere, and the unique chance to see her developed materials perform in the real world. When a trackside role opened up, she seized the opportunity, officially stepping into her current position as R&D Materials Specialist - Moto Racing Compound Development in March 2026, though she was already on the ground for the Phillip Island round in February this year.
Her work is demanding and relentless. With approximately 80 days of travel planned this year, she flies across the globe straight from development desks to the track, gathering feedback from racing teams, processing framework data, and collaborating with the product team to shape the next iteration of compounds. It is a fast-moving, high-stakes cycle that demands observation, constant questioning, and humility in a professional environment.
Reflecting on her place in the industry, she notes a balanced 50-50 male-to-female ratio within the materials department at Pirelli. Looking forward, her ambitions are clear: she wants to keep growing, tackle technical challenges head-on, and eventually lead her own team as she takes on greater responsibilities in the future.
