Pirelli: Why it's really back in F1
With no competition and tyres that get destroyed rapidly, one could wonder what was Pirelli's motivation to return to F1. Dieter Rencken met with Paul Hembery to discuss that as well as the future of F1 tyres
After Bridgestone exited the sport, Formula 1 desperately needed a replacement tyre supplier prepared to service the sport on its terms.
Depending on to whom one spoke to at the time, there were plenty of candidates, including Michelin (said to have insisted upon tyre rivalry as a precondition of entry), Avon (reminiscent of the turbulent 80s, when F1 tsar Bernie Ecclestone supplied teams with Avon rubber via his own International Race Tyre Services operation) and even a proposal which had Bridgestone's technology and infrastructure acquired by the teams collectively.
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