05/07/2023
NEWS STORY
Though Bridgestone has applied for the tender to provide tyres to F1 from 2025, the teams are happy to stick with Pirelli, Franz Tost admitting that money is a factor.
Sadly, there is absolutely no chance of a tyre war involving numerous suppliers, or even just two, and Michelin has already ruled out a return admitting that it has no interest while the sport insists on tyres that "destroy themselves for the show".
Consequently, it appears to be a choice between Pirelli and Bridgestone, though the teams are happy to stick with the current supplier.
"We've worked with both companies and won races and championship with both companies," said Christian Horner.
"They're both quality companies," he continued. "So, Formula 1 is in a fortunate position if both are showing keen interest.
"We have absolutely no issue with Pirelli at the moment. Bridgestone is a quality brand and is a quality manufacturer. I guess their only complexity and the one that perhaps the teams would squabble over is when they come to needing to sign off their product and then suddenly a test car has to be produced, who produces the test car? Who runs the test car? Who drives the test car? Who gets that knowledge? And how do you do that in an impartial way. It was always a slightly sore subject historically. So that would be one key thing to address."
"Bridgestone is a very well-known company," added Franz Tost, "it also has a lot of experience in Formula 1, although they were out now the last years.
"I am convinced that Bridgestone is aware what it means to come into Formula 1 and I would not be surprised if they wouldn't have made any tests already in Japan, because when they came back 10 or 15 years ago, the team where I was working, the Le Mans team was involved in the tyre development, and Ralf Schumacher did the tyre tests in those times and this was two years ahead before they came into Formula 1.
"Otherwise, if they haven't started then I think it's quite late because to develop tyres for the current Formula 1 is huge challenge and it's not so easy to find the correct way to have also safe tyres."
Sadly, the Austrian then admitted that, just like every other aspect of the sport these days, money is a major factor.
"I think for Formula 1, and for the Formula 1 management, it's a very good possibility to negotiate with Pirelli and then to find a solution who is providing Formula 1 with better material and who is paying more money," he said.
"It's not easy to make a Formula 1 tyre," said Guenther Steiner. "I think as Pirelli experienced when they came into the sport the first years are very difficult.
"I think Pirelli in the end now, they're doing a good job. Obviously, Bridgestone is a good company, they know about racing and maybe they've already started to develop some tyres. Who knows? They know, we don't know. But it will not be easy and it will not be pain free.
"Making experience sometimes is not easy? So I think if they come in it will be difficult but in the end it's up to the FIA to check if they've got the technical capabilities, so we're not going backwards in a way competitive-wise with the tyres, but at the moment, I don't really know where that where it stands, what they want to do."
"We are happy with Pirelli," said Alessandro Alunni Bravi. So, I think that is a very important choice for the future. There will be new PU regulations, new chassis regulations. So also this choice, if there will be or not a new tyre supplier, is a key element for the teams.
"We rely on the FIA and the tender process. I think that they will take into consideration all the factors. So let's wait and see. But of course, any choice should give to the teams the possibility to test properly, and we know that tyre of 2026, if the regulation will remain like today, we have very few days to test completely new package. So this is something that we should consider."
The FIA opened the tender process, which includes the F2 and F3 championships in March, initially on a three-year contract but with the option to supply from 2028 also.
"The targets set out in the tender will remain largely unchanged, with key characteristics remaining similar to the tyres currently in use," said the FIA at the time.