With a recent contract extension though 2019 in hand, Pirelli chairman, Marco Tronchetti, says the Italian company would welcome tire competition in Formula 1. That wasn’t what then-boss Bernie Ecclestone wanted for the series but a recent fan survey pointed to a majority of respondents suggesting that a tire war might be the thing to liven up the competition between teams.
The FIA recently awarded the contract extension to Pirelli but the tender was also answered by Michelin under the stipulation that the French manufacturer would only re-enter F1 if the high degradation concept was eliminated.
According to an article at Autosport, Pirelli believe the teams are very keen to remain in a sole-supplier format and that the cost of a competitive tire supplier war would drive up expense. Pirelli’s Tronchetti says it’s already very expensive from a tire perspective.
At this point, with a more conservative approach to degradation this season and wider, gripping tires, would a tire war be a good idea as the survey suggests? The Bridgestone/Ferrari alliance was great for the Scuderia but not so great for other Bridgestone-shod teams. Tronchetti said:
“We race everywhere in the world, alone and against others.
“We like competition.
“When we race with the others, we win.
“We’re ready for any competition, with anybody.”
If you’ve listened to our podcast for any length of time you’ll know that I’m fine with the return of multiple tire manufacturers. It adds a real element of pressing the innovation of tire design and performance. That being said, if there was to be an option for more than one supplier, I think it would be best if F1 coordinated that with the new engine and possibly new chassis for 2019-20 and move toward a larger wheel design.
Hat Tip: Autosport
I’m not in favour. In the last set of tyre wars, the tyres were such a dominant factor that any team with the ‘wrong’ tyre contract had zero chance of success, no matter how they developed the car during the season.
If there were to be alternative tyre suppliers, all the tyres and compounds from each supplier would have to be available to every team every session – otherwise we’re back to single team domination most seasons.
Next idea, please!
JAKO, Fully agree.
“….the engines were such a dominant factor that any team with the ‘wrong’ engine contract had zero chance of success….”
I fixed that for you.
I’m all for a tyre war, anything to give the middle of the pack a puncher’s chance is aces in my book.
And having the possibility of another 2005 USGP with only 6 cars on the grid. No thank you.
I’m moderately amused, but…….we’re in the middle of a power unit war, that hasn’t helped the middle of the pack much. What makes you think a tyre war will be different?
That’s a fair point. I’d just like to see a little shake up, simple entertainment motivations.
How is it that when you made the first comment you were ‘moderately democratic’, now you’re Hanwi???????
disqus settings, username, change.
Is this a change in your political outlook?
Nope, I’ll always be just a hair left of center. My username was pissing off the socialists at some of the far left leaning blogs I comment on, they don’t like it when their hypocrisy is pointed out.
I changed it in the hopes some of my comments would get thru to one of them, not holding my breath thou.
It’s a bit worse than that. In the last tyre war the two tyre manufacturers picked a team/driver to do all their testing, and built tyres to suit that car and driver. All the new developments went to that team first, with other teams getting older specification tyres (as the company cannot keep making enough new specification tyres for every team under contract). The end result was a one car championship when Bridgestone were dominant, and at most a two car championship when there was a more even spread between the tyre manufacturers.
“The end result was a one car championship….”
Isn’t that what we’ve been watching the last three years?
Mercedes at least allowed their cars to race, so it was a two car (single team) championship. Back in 2002 & 2004 Ferrari decided that Schumacher should be champion, and it was truly a one car championship.
Tis true
Agreed and honestly I think the tire situation is fine right now. I think the tires have three jobs – be round, don’t explode, and don’t limit the lines on the track by covering all lines but one with marbles. They’re accomplishing these goals right now and so I say focus on something in F1 that’s NOT working.
I think the issue with tires is that there is an artificial construct of choosing from a limited set of options and forcing at least two different tires to be run during dry races. Let teams choose the fastest tires to get to the end of the race and ensure no single option is capable of lasting a whole race distance. Will it cost more to ship more selection of tires around the world – probably it will but we could talk about the impact of cost reduction strategy on the sport as a whole, and I’m not sure it’s… Read more »
The present engine formula was excepted by all on the grid, by unanimity/by consensus. Ditto for the present single tyre supplier.
Both of the above agreed about by one and all on the grid will run for a set time, again agreed about by all concerned.
From time to time we hear and read that some of those that had agreed things wants a change or are pushing for a change on what they had agreed on. why would that be, why would those that had agreed wants or starts pushing for a change on what they agreed on?.
There is a really good interview with Pat Symonds on a motorsports podcast. He talks about how when the teams were talking the new p.u format, the oil price was skyrocketing, the teams had loads of advertising income, and they all thought they make the p.u’s for a fraction of the actual cost. By the time 2014 rolled around, the oil price had plummeted (so the fuel efficiency wasn’t seen as so important), the GFC had wiped out all the easy money, and the cost of the p.u’s had gone through the roof. So the non-manufacturer teams weren’t quite so… Read more »
At the end you really hit the nail on the head, at present there seems to be two things that urgently needs to change, engines and tyres, which one needs to change depends on who’s fan boy/supporter you are.
Sigh. What a useless post by a fanboy obssessed poster.
Like the FIA or the teams will change regs or tyre supplier because of fanboys. Right.
Completely different to jaks’ post. At least, his was relevant and sensible and comes from a credible F1 source like Symonds.
You just wanted to let us know that you are still obsessed by Lewis and his fanboys.
Hi Formerly known as, thanks for the positive feedback. You may not be aware that one of the rules of this blog is that we treat each other with decorum and civility. Your ongoing sniping at Salvu goes against this rule, and frankly, it is tedious. Please stop.
Thanks JAKO, It’s just a stand-up comedian practicing here.
I appreciate the request and will do my best. I really only reply to him when he starts bringing up fanboys and fanboyism, which he does a lot regardless of topics. Don’t you find this habit of his a bit tedious? Salvu or Sunny Stivala as he is formerly known has been sprouting this tediousness since his crash dot net days where he and his cronies accused everyone of being a fanboy for expressing favourable opinions about certain drivers, especially Hamilton and more recently, Verstappen. Fortunately (or is it, unfortunately?), there are only a handful of sites now, yours included,… Read more »