As the FIA opens up its tyre tender process for a contract running from 2017 to 2019, the official document specifies that only a single supplier shall be allowed.
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With Pirelli’s contract due to expire at the end of the 2016 season, and Michelin expressing interest in getting involved once again in F1, recent speculation had conceived that a tyre war could well have been on the horizon. But the FIA’s proposal clearly puts the presumption to rest.
“The tender document has come out and that says a single tyre supplier until the end of 2019,” Pirelli’s Paul Hembery said.
“That reflects what the team wants and that’s the situation they want to maintain.”
FIA begin search for new team. http://t.co/vL8G0LXbZ8 via @Planet_F1 pic.twitter.com/JG0mTpLBfO
— Total F1 (@F1TotalOfficial) May 29, 2015
While some within the F1 – including Fernando Alonso – believe an outright tyre war would help spice up proceedings, the majority of the teams appear against any on-track clash involving rival rubber manufacturers.
“This means that two teams will get the good tyres and the rest will just get crap,” believes Toro Rosso’s Franz Tost.
“The complete competition would drive in a completely different direction. Then we would have, after now the power unit Formula 1, we would have the tyre Formula 1.
“Once the power units are stabilised, we open the next problem.”
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