Amid the news that more than one company have placed a bid for the Formula 1 tyre contract for 2020-23, Michelin has confirmed why they decided not to join the tender bid. Michelin has been away from F1 since 2006 and with the decision to change from 13-inch wheels to 18-inch wheels coming into play in 2021, it would not make financial sense for them to produce the 13-inch wheels for just a year.
Hankook reported to have joined the bidding
It is understood that Hankook is the rival bidder to Pirelli, the same tyre supplier for the F3 Championship. Whilst Michelin decided against bidding for 2020-23, their success in MotoGP has been clear to see and they are not ruling out coming back into F1 in the future.
Michelin could create tyre war with one brand
Motorsport boss at Michelin Paul Couasnon believes that Michelin’s experience in MotoGP could help F1 in the future. In MotoGP, a variety of different tyre choices has made for less predictable outcomes in the racing.
In a recent interview, he said: “Is F1 good today? That would be my question. Look at MotoGP. We bring three types of tyres for the front and the rear, and the riders can choose. You then finish the race with three different combinations on the podium.”
“The best compliment we have received from journalists is that Michelin has recreated a tyre war with one brand, and that is what we would love to do for F1.”
His idea is that Michelin could still bring a tyre war into F1 even if they are the only tyre supplier at some point in the future. Of course, the circumstances have to be right and the requirements need to fit into the Michelin company policy but they could certainly bring something different to F1 in the next tyre tender bidding.
