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Pirelli boss Mario Isola says the Italian tire manufacturer could potentially leave F1 at the end of 2024 after its current contract ends.
Expressing a desire to continue beyond the 2024 season, Isola said the choice was beyond him and only the FIA could decide on its future. Speaking to the media following the Imola GP, he said:
“Obviously, the decision is not in our hands but, in general, we are happy with our experience in Formula 1, and we want to continue. We had an extension for 2024, but you know that this contract is subject to a tender process and it’s up to the FIA to decide how to manage the situation together with Formula 1.”
Pirelli expects the next tender to be released in mid-2023, allowing manufacturers just under a year’s worth of time to submit their bids. Despite the Italian company being the sport’s sole supplier for over a decade, Isola is unsure whether it will be able to come up with the winning bid. He said:
“We are hoping to discuss the future with Formula 1 There is a lot going on, and we have to discuss more in detail about that. But it is a tender, so in the end, it is up to the offer and the characteristics and the elements that are included in the tender.”
The Milan-based company received an extension to its current contract in 2020 after the tender process originally scheduled for that year was postponed due to the pandemic. Through the tender process, F1 sets out its requirements for tire compounds for future seasons, while prospective manufacturers are called about to submit competitive bids.
F1 needs to consider bringing back the “tire wars”
F1 is one of the only top-tier motorsports in the world with a single tire manufacturer. Pirelli has been the sport’s sole tire supplier for more than a decade, taking over the role from Bridgestone after the Japanese tire manufacturer exited the sport at the end of 2010.
At the end of 2006, to reign in ever-increasing developmental costs, the sport’s bosses banned the “tire wars”. Before then, tire manufacturers worked directly with teams, much in the same way engine and fuel suppliers still do.
While driving innovation, it was also phenomenally expensive. Rather than considering a budget cap to reign in cost, the sport took the easy way out and banned the practice.
Meanwhile, a sole tire supplier for all ten teams on the grid has been a controversial issue. While Pirelli has been crucial in developing new tire compounds that have changed the impact of racing strategies, it has also been involved in numerous controversies due to underperforming compounds, tire blowouts, and more.
With the next tender approaching ahead of 2024, the sport has yet another opportunity to revive tire wars and bring more manufacturers into the sport. Given the recent push to make components from spec manufacturers more and more common, however, it is extremely unlikely.
