Pirelli Signs 3 Year Contract with F1

[cosworth151]

Pirelli will continue to supply tires to F1 for the next three years. In a joint statement from the tire maker and the FIA, they said: “The world motorsport’s governing body and Pirelli, in collaboration with the teams, have been working together to improve levels of safety and performance in Formula One, resulting in important changes to the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations regarding the testing of tires, which will enable the Italian company to continue its Formula One single supply arrangements in the best interests of the sport.

“Pirelli will continue to determine the specification of the tires and to manage all aspects of their development, in close consultation with the FIA and the teams, and within the parameters set out in the FIA Formula One Sporting & Technical Regulations.”

[Scott]

Yay? 

[John S]

Like Scott I'm not sure if this news, which is not unexpected after all, is good or bad. 
Exploding tyres at least spiced up the British GP this year.    This contract means there will be no tyre war for the next three years, so Pirelli will have to sprinkle a few surprises to stop us all getting bored.... and that's about all I can say.

 

[vintly]

I like Paul Hembury, he's weathered a right old storm this last year, and I think came through it with flying colours.

Must be very hard flying round the world to exotic locations, no doubt on a generous expense account, having to decide which party invitation to accept… Tricky.

[Irisado]

Pirelli took a lot of unjustified criticism last year for doing what the FIA told them to do.  I would not have liked them to lose the contract for that reason if nothing else.

[cosworth151]

It doesn't sound like anybody else really wanted to supply tires.

[F1fanaticBD]

It doesn't sound like anybody else really wanted to supply tires.

Michelin was interested (even after that debacle) but they wanted the tyres to be bigger, and also they were interested in making longer lasting tyre, instead of the Pirelli popper.While the former proposal was denied by the teams as increasing the tyre size will significantly change the aero-dynamics of the cars, into which teams have already gone too far, and the latter was dismissed by FOM/FIA as they were the one who wanted to make fragile tyre in the first place. Bridgestone is not coming back, and Hankook is not just ready for making F1 tyres, so they have no one else except Pirelli 

[Jericoke]

It's good to know that the tires are sorted out for three years.

Pirelli has been a very good partner, even if the FIA hasn't.  Pirelli knows that success for F1 is good for Pirelli, and are willing to do what they can for the spectacle.

[F1fanaticBD]

There is no publicity as a bad publicity. Pirelli made headlines more in last year, than Bridgestone's entire supply era. Surely it gives people to know, talk about the name. Yeah it may not be good for the brand in short-term, but if you look in a long-term commitment, it was never a bad thing for Pirelli. And it also helped the fact that they could plead innocence, because of limited testing as well as FOM's direct instruction to make fragile tyres.