Teams fail to agree on 2011 tyres

F1 team principals conducted a more detailed evaluation of the offers on the table from Pirelli, Michelin and Avon Cooper this morning, but the teams could not commit themselves to electing one route as their preferred option.

While Pirelli is believed to be favourite to get the contract, because of the commercial terms of the deal, Michelin is still attractive enough to not be totally discounted.

Further talks took place with F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone following the get-together by the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA), and more talks are now scheduled to take place over the next few weeks.

Williams CEO Adam Parr confirmed that no decision had been taken, which means F1 still does not know on what tyres the cars will run in 2011.

"We are making very good progress, but haven't made a final decision," Parr told AUTOSPORT. "We have a couple of good proposals on the table and each one has its own merits. There are a couple of details, but we have to make a decision soon."

When asked how far away he reckoned that decision would be, he said: "We are days rather than weeks. It is down to two or three options on the table and we are close to deciding which way we go."

Parr also made it clear that teams had rejected any move towards a tyre war in F1, because of the ramping up of costs that that would entail.

"Nobody in F1 wants that," he said. "I think one of them likes the idea that it is not hiding away behind a sole supplier relationship, and that it is open to competition. We would all recognise that that tyre supplier is more than capable of conducting a tyre war, but there is no appetite or potential for a tyre war now.

"It is not just about money, it is about the show. When we have a tyre war the pressure to increase testing will go up. You can also get it hugely wrong in a tyre war. If someone is given a two second per lap tyre advantage you would never see them. That would kill the sport."