Michelin’s opposition to this evolution in the regulations has been the subject of numerous discussions at Michelin Competition.

Why does the FIA want to introduce control tyres in Formula 1?
Pierre Dupasquier: There are three official reasons, and I say ‘official’ reasons: to bring down costs, to improve safety by curbing performance and to ensure that no team would lose out by being on the “wrong” tyres.

In what way would a control tyre cut costs?
PD: A given single type of tyre, with no development work on it, would reduce the distance covered by teams to assist with tyre development. If Formula 1 cars had a limited number of tyre types for the year – for example, a dry weather tyre and a wet weather tyre –, the tyre of each type would be exactly the same and produced in large quantities at the start of the season in a single batch. Also, the number of tyres allocated to each team would be established for each circuit.

Are you saying there would be no development or testing?
PD: That’s why I said ‘official’ reasons earlier, since this proposal to work with a single tyre manufacturer in reality conceals a fundamental issue: the reduction of the role of the tyre to that of a banal component with no other added value than permitting Formula 1 cars to be mobile. As the world’s leading tyre manufacturer, that is something we cannot accept. In day to day life, road car and truck manufacturers are forever coming to us with a view to developing new tyres that optimise the running, comfort, road holding and energy efficiency of their vehicles, while in Formula 1, a technological showcase if ever there was one, you’re talking about tyres becoming something banal. That would make no sense at all for our customers and for the image of the tyre. When you are the leading tyre manufacturer, you have a responsibility vis-à- vis your profession, or in any case a responsibility as we see it at Michelin.

Are you saying that savings would not be possible in the case of competing tyre manufacturers?
PD: We have already seen a significant reduction in the number of tyres per car with the current regulations: three sets of each type of dry weather tyre, two types per race weekend and one set of tyres to cover qualifying and the race. A reduction in the distances covered in testing is currently being looked at.

Has Michelin made any proposals concerning the reduction of testing?
PD: At the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix, we made a written proposal to Mr. Ecclestone who had approached us concerning this matter: “Michelin declares that it is in a position to develop F1 tyres without necessitating any specific testing for their development. It is possible to fit our test tyres to the car each time our partners take to the track to run gearboxes or to validate aerodynamics.” However, I would like to stress that Michelin is in favour of testing in very specific circumstances. We believe that, for safety reasons, tyre companies should be allowed to test at new circuits or tracks where the surface or the layout has been changed.

If Michelin’s proposals were applied in a situation where more than one tyre manufacturer was still involved, what sort of savings could be achieved?
PD: We have two proposals for bringing down costs: fewer tyre types and restrictions concerning the distances covered in testing. At 800 dollars per kilometre covered in testing, that soon adds up to an appreciable saving. You could reasonably reduce the distance covered annually by each team by 20,000 km. Multiply that by ten teams, that comes to 200,000 km; a saving to F1 of 160 million dollars! This is something we have already put into application with another tyre manufacturer in world rallying (WRC).

The second objective is to improve race and driver safety...
PD: If a driver brakes too late, if he enters a corner too quickly or if he touches the rear wheel of the preceding car, the car will go off whether it is running on a control tyre or not. Indeed, championships with control tyres already exist, notably in the United States. For example, Nascar, Indy Car and Champcar. But this is no guarantee of safety. This year, at Pocomo in Nascar, seven tyres exploded during practice and the race.

The third argument concerns fairness between the teams. In the case of a single tyre manufacturer, what guarantee would there be that all teams are treated equally?
PD: Good question. If the organiser wants, there are means that have already been used in the past, such as allocating tyres at random and managing tyres with a view to eliminating the temptation of treating them in such a way that their performance could effectively be improved. In the single make championships with which we are involved, we have often asked competitors to come to our trucks to choose their tyres themselves.