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Michelin ponders F1 return

NEWS STORY
01/04/2010

Michelin managing partner Jean-Dominique Senard has admitted that his company is considering returning to F1 next season as the sport struggles to find a replacement for Bridgestone.

Ever since Bridgestone announced its intention to follow Honda, BMW and Toyota out of the sport, there has been speculation as to who will fill the void.

While some believe Bridgestone might have a change of heart, a suggestion the Japanese company denies, others point to relatively new companies such as Kumho.

While Michelin has a long history of involvement in F1, the French manufacturer left the sport at the end of 2006, many citing its rapidly deteriorating relationship with the FIA, and in particular its President.

While the 2011 season seems ages away, what with the current season only two races old, there is concern that Bridgestone's replacement should already be collecting data vital in terms of both competitiveness and safety.

Speaking yesterday, Senard offered hope that his company might return to F1, saying, according to Autoweek: "We might consider returning, but there are some very clear conditions."

While not saying what these conditions might be, few will forget the debacle of the 2005 United States Grand Prix when only six cars following concerns over tyre safety.

With a new President on board at the FIA, indeed a Frenchman who enjoyed success with Michelin, this must go some way towards persuading the manufacturer. However, it is widely felt that tyre companies need the challenge of a rival in order to increase competitiveness and maximise publicity.

Some suggest that should Michelin opt return to F1, Bridgestone might be persuaded to remain. However, the Japanese manufacturer, which is currently insisting that there will be no u-turn on its original decision, is likely to wait and see what Michelin - with whom it was engaged in a tyre war between 2001 and 2006 - chooses to do.

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