07/05/2010
NEWS STORY
Michelin has said that it will not return to Formula One as the sole tyre supplier, admitting that it wants to see a revival of the tyre war.
Currently, three tyre companies are understood to be interested in re[placing Bridgestone which leaves the sport at the end of the season. Other than Michelin, which left F1 at the end of 2006, Avon and Pirelli have both expressed interest.
However, Pirelli, like Michelin, is not only seeking a greater financial return from the sport, it is also a change to the regulations, namely increasing the wheel diameter from 13 inches to 18 inches. Such a change would see larger wheels with lower profile tyres which would change the handling and suspension characteristics of the cars dramatically. It would also increase costs for the teams who would need to redesign their suspension layouts significantly.
"We're in talks with the Federation (FIA) and the other bodies that run Formula One and we told them that if several brands were allowed in the sport then Michelin... would be ready to think about it," the French manufacturer's managing partner Didier Mariton told a shareholders meeting.
It is understood that Pirelli is making its pitch to the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone at Barcelona this weekend.