In search of time that doesn't exist. In Formula 1, in preparing the seasons, it is not only the teams who carry out real battles against time, but also the so-called professionals. These also include the tire supply company, i.e Pirelli, which it has though his contract expires at the end of next season.
Pirelli against Bridgestone: who will triumph?
With a contract that has not yet been renewed, Pirelli has many question marks. Without the certainty of remaining in Formula 1 until 2027 - thus renewing the agreement already in place - achieving a schedule is practically impossible. For this reason, at Pirelli they are pushing as hard as possible to have news about the future: the tender presented by the FIA mid-season, saw Pirelli and Bridgestone pass the first phase, the one focused on the sporting field with the Federation. The ball is now in the hands of Liberty Media who will have the tough choice of deciding which of the two companies will have the monopoly on tire production in the Circus: will it be confirmation or revolution?
Horner takes sides: “A thousand reasons to continue with Pirelli”
One thing that seems to be certain is that the answer will arrive shortly with Pirelli which, from what we can see, seems to be slightly ahead of Bridgestone. The final decision therefore lies with Liberty Media. Who will triumph? If the choice was up to the teams, they would already have very clear ideas: “When we talk about Pirelli – commented the Red Bull team principal Horner - it goes without saying that we are focusing on a large company and I am sure that in their tender they offered generous conditions to the promoter and teams. There's no denying that they really are a great tire company and that, like Red Bull, there are a million reasons why we'd like to continue working with them".
Vasseur reflects on the timing: “It will be a good challenge”
The team principal is on the same wavelength Ferrari Frederic Vasseur who recognized the need for the two tire manufacturing companies to quickly know news about their future: “We are undoubtedly talking about a rather demanding challenge. We are talking about one type of tire for 2025 and probably another for 2026. It means that in the next two or three years two different tires will have to be developed, and as Isola said there will not only be F1, but also the junior series. As a result, that means this is a very, very large panel. I don't know if it's too late, it's not my job, but it's a challenge".
Stella closes the tape
Who agrees with both Red Bull, therefore focusing on Pirelli, and Ferrari, recognizing that time is running out, is the team principal of the McLaren Andrea Stella: “I agree about the million reasons. Regarding the times, I would say that for us as a team it is not a problem, but from the point of view of the tire suppliers It seems like times are getting tight, so hopefully we'll see the decision soon".
