13/05/2015
NEWS STORY
Michelin motorsport boss says manufacturer could return to F1... under certain conditions.
The French company left the sport at the end of 2006, a year after the infamous race at Indianapolis at which all its runners withdrew on safety grounds.
Long courted by (FIA boss) Jean Todt, Michelin could contemplate a return to the sport, but motorsport director Pascal Couasnon admits that the sport would have to undergo some important revisions.
"We are open to it," he admitted to Italy's Autosprint. "But there are certain conditions.
"Formula One needs to change the technical regulations," he continued. "The tyre must again be a technical object rather than a tool for a spectacular show. We want 18-inch tyres that we will use in Formula E, and soon in other series.
"If Formula One takes our proposals into account, then we are prepared and we have a strong will to return," he added. "If things stay as they are, we are not interested. So we will submit our application, then it's up to Ecclestone and the FIA whether they accept or not."
At a time members of the Pitpass team, in the site's latest Podcast, suggest a tyre war would benefit the sport, Couasnon too believes tyre rivalry and revision of the rules could improve F1.
"They should have a stable performance and grip level," he said. "It is not normal for drivers to say after a few laps 'I have to slow down to save the tyres'. This should not be.
"Today Formula 1 drivers cannot show their talent because the tyres do not allow it. This happens when there is only one manufacturer and no motivation to improve. But if there is a technically interesting rulebook, then you have to develop your best product even if you are the only supplier."