Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery says he does not want another tyre war – Formula 1
Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery has said that his company is not looking for another tyre war and may look into leaving the sport if it returns.
He said that the company will only stay on with Formula 1 if the tyre war does not return to the sport for 2013. Hembery reckons that the move from Pirelli to other tyre companies would not make any sense as the sport will once again be much less exciting.
“We work for the sport. The sport has to decide what it wants,” Hembery said. “If it wants a tyre war and procession racing again, like it did in the early 2000s, when the audience disappeared, than that's one approach. It's not for us to decide.
“We will wait and see if the rules change. If they change, then we will consider it. At the moment the teams are certainly not interested in a tyre war.”
The sport saw one such tyre war that is making Hembery so wary of it back in 2006. Michelin quit the sport and left Bridgestone as the sole tyre Supplier of the sport. Pirelli then replaced Bridgestone at the start of the 2011 season.
Hembery is expecting another tyre war and is saying that the public will not be interesting in another tyre was as it will by very costly and it might also make things very dull for Formula 1.
The Pirelli director also added that back in 2005 when there were three tyre companies competing each other during the season, it showed how expensive and confusing it can get for the sport and the public. He gave the example of Indianapolis which showed
the ultimate effect of a tyre war.
He said it is not good for tyre makers or the sport to have such an incident like Indianapolis happen again.
“We saw that in the past. You'll only get a reputation in F1 as a tyre maker if you do an Indianapolis, and you stop a race.”
It will be interesting to see what FIA decide to do with the tyre situation going into 2013.
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