The FIA And Formula 1 have confirmed a deal that will see Pirelli continue as the sole tyre supplier for three more years.
The new deal means the Italian manufacturer will provide tyres for F1, F2 and F3 until 2026.
This will be a crucial year for he sport with new technical regulations expected to shake up the field. This could also lead to a change in tyre specification.
Pirelli has been “an invaluable partner” which had supported the sport “through new generations of technology” and delivered fantastic racing for the sports fans, according to F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali.
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The announcement comes only days after Pirelli came under fire after their tyres were deemed unsafe at the Qatar GP.
The FIA scheduled an extra practice session, revised the track limits and imposed a maximum stint length during Sunday’s race.
Pirelli has been F1’s official tyre supplier since 2011. During that time F1 has changed its tyre specification twice moving from 13-inch wheels to 18-inch last year.
Pirelli cponfirmed next years tyres will be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
This should ensure they are ‘biologically diverse’ and bring benefits to the lives of local communities and workers.
Marco Tronchetti Provera, Pirelli’s executive vice-president, said:
“Pirelli was there when Formula 1 was born in 1950, and with this latest renewal, the firm will now be a protagonist throughout nearly two decades of the modern Formula 1 era,”
No return to a tyre war yet
It is understood former suppliers, Bridgestone and Michelin, applied to rival Pirelli’s monopoly on the F1 tyre market.
While Bridgestone simply lost out, Michelin declined to respond to the request.
The French company did not want to design a tyre that is “designed to degrade in performance” as the FIA have requested.
It means that we will not the tyre battles of the mid-2000s for a few years yet.
The last time F1 had more than on tyre supplier was in 2006 – the final season of Michelin and Bridgestone’s rivalry.
Until then Pirelli will be trusted to continue to promote diverse pit stop strategies.
At the same time, we still want to see the drivers going flat out.
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