Pirelli gift Bridgestone OPEN GOAL for F1 deal after major announcement

Pirelli

Pirelli gift Bridgestone OPEN GOAL for F1 deal after major announcement

F1 could see another tyre war in he near future and Pirelli may have opened the door for Bridgestone to thrive

Joe Ellis

Wednesday 5 July 2023 13:57

Not since the departure of Michelin at the end of 2006 has F1 had two different tyre manufacturers on the grid at the same time.

Bridgestone took the monopoly from 2007 to 2010 and ever since then, Pirelli has been the sole supplier to F1 teams but that could soon change.

Pirelli wants to extend its deal with F1 to 2027 but Bridgestone is now ready to re-enter the sport and is pushing the agenda with the FIA.

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Both manufacturers are among the very best when it comes to tyres, but F1 needs almost exclusive focus and that could be about to change for Pirelli.

Mario Isola has been the face of Pirelli in F1

A new venture

The Italian company have announced that it will become the sole supplier of tyres in Moto2 and Moto3, the feeder series to MotoGP, from 2024.

It's not unusual for a tyre manufacturer to have its fingers in other motorsport pies but this is a whole different kettle of fish.

You can't make tyres that don't work or puncture easily when it comes to two-wheeled racing, as Pirelli's early F1 tyres did.

If you crash on a motorbike, you fall off and that increases the chances of injury exponentially against being strapped into a car.

The potential PR disaster that could strike Pirelli if they mess up the new tyres could be almost unrecoverable and that will mean a lot of resources will be going into this new project.

Bridgestone's open goal

F1 wants to see a commitment to the cause for its tyre supplier and this announcement will have opened the door for Bridgestone to take advantage.

The Japanese manufacturer will happily point out that Pirelli might not have F1 as the centre of its attention as a result of the Moto2 and Moto3 deals.

Alternatively, Bridgestone is only trying to enter F1 and not take on extra ventures which may well be a swaying factor when F1 makes its decision.

Both could be granted a spot on the grid for the 2025 season but who would be willing to abandon Pirelli after more than a decade?