Hembery not opposed to a manufacturers’ war in F1
Paul Hembery would be delighted to welcome one or more other manufacturers in F1, but at the same time, he doubts that is what the teams want. He also reaffirmed his desire to have more compounds in the future to avoid one-stop strategies, even though nothing is expected to be done in this direction for 2013.
Pirelli has been supplying tires for Formula 1 World Championship cars since the beginning of the 2011 season. The Italian manufacturer had signed a three-year contract, which will expire at the end of the 2013 season, but Pirelli officials have reportedly begun discussions with Bernie Ecclestone in India to extend their involvement, confirming what Paul Hembery explained two months ago.
During the same period, Paul Hembery stated that Pirelli did not wish to see competitors alongside them in F1, particularly because it would be more costly for the teams. However, the competition director of the Italian brand explained, as cited by the German publication Spox, that he would not be opposed to a manufacturer war. Asked if a battle with another manufacturer would be enjoyable, he replied: « Clearly. From a personal standpoint, we are always thrilled to partake in a competition. It’s always fun to beat a rival. »
Hembery did acknowledge, however, that he does not foresee the return of multiple tire manufacturers to F1 in the coming years: « Nevertheless, we must consider the financial environment. Teams have no interest in a new manufacturer war. Just like with tire manufacturers, it’s very difficult to assess the team’s contribution to success. It would require a strong argument to return nowadays to an open competition (between manufacturers in F1). »
Paul Hembery also stated that he would not be opposed to increasing the number of compounds available during a Formula 1 season, with the aim of avoiding Grand Prix with just one stop, as was the case last Sunday in India.
He confided to Autosport that Pirelli could supply more compounds if the need arises: “We would love to have a wider range of compounds, we would then have a broader choice of solutions for each track to ensure two or three-stop strategies. With four choices, it’s always going to be a bit compromised. At a minimum, we could have eight compounds, with high and low-temperature operating windows for each level (super-softs, softs, mediums, and hards) that we currently have.”
The competition manager of the Italian brand also acknowledged that for the moment, no discussions had been initiated to implement it and that for now, Pirelli was focusing on finalizing the four dry compounds that will be used in 2013.
