It’s official: Pirelli decides to return to F1
On April 23rd, casinoenligne.uk.com announced the possible return of Pirelli to F1. The Italian manufacturer needed to validate its comeback during a board of directors’ meeting. Today, it is official as Pirelli has confirmed its intention to become the official tire supplier for F1 starting next season. In a statement published on Thursday, the Milan-based […]
On April 23rd, casinoenligne.uk.com announced the possible return of Pirelli to F1. The Italian manufacturer needed to validate its comeback during a board of directors’ meeting. Today, it is official as Pirelli has confirmed its intention to become the official tire supplier for F1 starting next season.
In a statement published on Thursday, the Milan-based company announced that it would be making an offer to the FIA and all the teams on the grid:
«Pirelli announces its decision to submit a technical and commercial offer for the supply of tires to all teams in the Formula 1 World Championship. The company plans to present the offer to the FIA and FOA on May 9, during the next Grand Prix, which will be held in Spain.»
This statement comes after the Technical Director of Williams, Sam Michael, declared upon leaving a FOTA (Formula One Team Association) meeting that the teams were asked to choose between Michelin and Avon-Cooper:
At this stage, the conversations are oscillating between Michelin and Avon. Avon is much cheaper but it’s a less tested product, even though they have already made many highly competitive tires. They represent a bigger unknown than Michelin, who were still in F1 very recently. However, there is a significant difference in costs, and we can talk about a threefold cost difference for the teams.
Sam Michael concludes: This is the heart of the debates at the moment.
For his part, Paul Hembery, the director of Pirelli Motorsport, stated: «I stand by the press release we have just issued. Last week, we said that we wanted to conduct a study of this situation; we conducted that study, and it leads us to submit a formal offer.»
However, many questions can be raised:
– Les velléités de retour de Pirelli seraient-elles trop tardives?
– Michelin et Avon-Cooper ont-elles pris un avantage décisif?
– Le pneu français sera-t-il le préféré du paddock face à son concurrent anglo-américain?
– Avon-Cooper pourra-t-elle attirer dans ses filets un Top Team?
