Pirelli wins race to be F1 tire supplier
Media reports, including by Italy's Autosprint, claim one outcome of the meeting could be the announcement of a three-year official supply deal for Pirelli.
FIA president Jean Todt recently appeared keener on seeing Michelin return to formula one, but after a meeting in Paris is believed to have now approved the Pirelli deal.
It is also believed the possibility of disciplinary action against the failed 2010 team USF1 will be decided in Geneva on Wednesday.
06/10/10 (GMM) Yet another grand prix weekend will pass without an announcement about F1's new tire supplier for 2011.
But the Italian website 422race.com reports that Milan-based Pirelli has definitely secured the deal, with confirmation due between the Montreal and Valencia races.
A source at the company said the delay is taking place within the FIA's legal department.
FIA president Jean Todt said in an interview this week that although FOTA may have made a decision, the governing body and commercial rights holder must first "launch a tender".
06/02/10 Michelin’s last ditch bid to win the F1 tire contract for 2011 and beyond seems to have failed to impress the teams, and a deal with Pirelli appears to be a formality.
It is now apparently a question of finalizing contractual and legal issues before confirmation comes from the FIA in the coming days.
The biggest weakness in Michelin’s case was its insistence on making a significant cut in the number of sets of tires available per driver per race weekend, whereas Pirelli has agreed to honor the numbers as supplied by Bridgestone in the current FIA Sporting Regulations.
"We don’t have enough as it is," said one team boss. “To go to even less is crackers."
05/26/10 (GMM) Italian media sources are reporting that Pirelli will be F1's sole tire supplier in 2011 and beyond. Autosprint and Italiaracing say the Milan-based marque has been selected by the teams and F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone to replace the departing control supplier Bridgestone.
Reportedly also in the running had been Michelin as well as minor contenders Avon, Kumho and Hankook.
When asked to nominate his preference, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said this week: "As an Italian I prefer Pirelli, but experience tells me Michelin.
"In the end it will be the same for everyone," he said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Autosprint said Pirelli will be paid 1 million euros per team per season in 2011, 2012 and 2013, in exchange for identical attention and service and a range of just three compounds: soft, medium and hard.
At least initially, the tires will be in a similar 13-inch specification to the current Bridgestone product, with a longer-term ambition being a move to a low profile.
The decision is set to be confirmed shortly by the World Motor Sport Council. Spain's El Mundo Deportivo reports that Pirelli, already the supplier of the new GP3 series as well as world rally, is also likely to supply GP2 next year. Pirelli was last in F1 in 1991.
05/22/10 (GMM) A meeting of the Technical Working Group did not result in a decision about F1's tire supplier for 2011.
Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, however, reports that Pirelli has moved into pole position for the contract, even though recent rumors suggested both the Italian marque and Michelin were offering to supply tires for 1.5m euros per team.
Earlier this week, representatives of Pirelli met with F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the technical directors' meeting, it emerges that the new tire supplier and the ban on double diffusers will not be the only technical changes for 2011.
The magazine said the main area of attention, apart from the return of KERS, is aerodynamics. Pending the approval of the FIA, the bodywork ahead of the sidepods, and the flow aids under the chassis, are to disappear.
It is also expected that the front wings will be smaller, while the front wing adjustors could be replaced by adjustable rear wings.