Ecclestone wants tyres that only last for 100 kilometres

09/07/2010
NEWS STORY

Bernie Ecclestone has admitted that he would like to see Pirelli - which is due to enter F1 as sole tyre supplier next season - produce tyres that only last for 100 kilometres (62 miles).

The reason for his proposal is simple, he wants to see more races like the Canadian Grand Prix, a race turned on its head due to excessive tyre wear which resulted in drivers having to make several pit stops and had fans guessing the outcome right up to the very last lap..

"People want more overtaking, and I have a proposal" he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "Tyre sets that can be used for a maximum of 100 kilometres, with the set used in qualifying to be used in the first part of the race. That way we'd have more tyre changes at different times and there would be more confusion. The best races are the messy ones."

Bernie is correct of course, the best races are the messy ones. However, they are the best and messy because it happens naturally not because events are manipulated.

If F1 is to introduce tyres that are deliberately designed to degrade early and thereby necessitate extra pit stops then why not go the whole hog and have sprinklers on the track just in case it doesn't rain, a former priest on standby in case he's needed to run on to the track and maybe even a device that randomly causes engines to fail or cars to crash.

What made Canada so very special was that while it was a series of separate incidents that produced an exciting race, they were both random and natural not deliberately planned. If Bernie doesn't understand that then he doesn't understand a fundamental element of F1.

In the same interview, Ecclestone reveals that other than Pirelli and Michelin, Hankook and Continental were also interested in entering the sport, while it was he who suggested Avon.

Asked how the Pirelli deal had come about, he revealed: "With a phone call just before Christmas. Michelin had already got in touch and I had contacted Avon and the other big manufacturers. In the end five were left, the ones I mentioned, plus Hankook and Continental. All of them liked F1 but none could enter in time for 2011. Therefore choice has fallen on Pirelli.

"Every team will pay 1.35 million euros per year for the tyres," he added. "But Pirelli will pay for track advertising, so the teams in some way will get back part of the investment."

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Published: 09/07/2010
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