[PapaofGags]

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/miche...14/?nrt=54

Michelin has decided against an immediate return to Formula 1 after ruling out applying for the new tyre tender process.

The French tyre company had evaluated a potential return in two years' time, with the FIA having in July opened up the tyre tender to become F1’s official supplier from 2020 to 2023.
But at the time, Michelin expressed two key reservations about what was on offer – saying it did not like the prospect of having to supply 13-inch tyres for the 2020 season only, nor the overall concept of high-degrading tyres.
Following weeks of analysis of what was on offer, and with the FIA’s Friday deadline for applications to be made approaching, Michelin confirmed it was not interested.

A statement from Michelin said that the two concerns it had with the tender were too much for it to overcome - even though it welcomed the long-term move to 18-inch tyres.
“We have received the technical specifications on which the FIA call for tenders has been issued and we have studied it carefully,” said the company.
“Michelin's recommendations for a switch to 18-inch tyres, as in Formula E, have been taken up by the authorities, which we are delighted about.
“However, the demand for the supply of 13-inch tyres for the 2020 season alone, as well as the deterioration of performance as a part of the show, goes against our principles of efficient resource management and respect for the technology of a sustainable tyre.
"Michelin has therefore decided to refrain from any response to this invitation to tender and will continue to follow, in conjunction with its governing bodies, the developments of Formula 1 in the
coming years."

[NeilP]

You see this is something I do not understand. Liberty go on and on about competition and here was a clear opportunity to have some and they screwed it up. In fact they made it so hard for a new supplier one has to think it was a deliberate move to protect Pirelli.

Why have the tyres got to be Standard issue? Makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, the engines have differences, the fuel has different suppliers, the brakes are not sole sourced and the cars themselves are wildly different why can that not be the case for tyres.

Dumb in my opinion.

[PapaofGags]

You see this is something I do not understand. Liberty go on and on about competition and here was a clear opportunity to have some and they screwed it up. 

Hi Neil, honestly I would prefer a sole supplier for tyres in F1, when Bridgestone & Michelin were in it wasn't much fun if your team/driver was on the wrong tyre with no chance to win, at least with one supplier no one is disadvantaged by their tyres, however crap they are lol.   

[Purple-banana]

it wasn't much fun if your team/driver was on the wrong tyre with no chance to win

Replace “tyre” with “team” and now you know how ever non-mercedes fan has felt for the last four/five years!

[PapaofGags]

it wasn't much fun if your team/driver was on the wrong tyre with no chance to win

Replace “tyre” with “team” and now you know how ever non-mercedes fan has felt for the last four/five years!

I know exactly how it feels, I went through the Ferrari years.       

[NeilP]

Well, you are both right as much as I love to see Mercedes win the part of me that is a racing fan bemoans the lack of action but that is F1 its always pretty much been dominated at times by a single team. The Schumacher years whilst incredible and amazing were pretty boring (unless you were Red in colour) but that is what happens when you have a brilliant car and a brilliant driver.

[Monster Hesh]

I'm on the side of same tyres for everyone, it just seems right because its solely third party. Thats my philosphy in FPS games aswell, everyone has the same weapons available, use your skill and learn them. It's that, for have everyone make their own tyres.

Michelin did the right thing. Plus they are too busy in MotoGP where everything is great.

[PapaofGags]

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/pirel...15/?nrt=54

FIA president Jean Todt has confirmed that “more than one” tyre company has put in a bid for the 2020-2023 Formula 1 tyre contract.

Sources suggest that Korean company Hankook is the main rival to current incumbent Pirelli.
Michelin, widely regarded as a potential bidder, confirmed on Friday that it has decided not to bid.
The big complication for anyone other than Pirelli winning the tender is that the 2020 season will be conducted with current tyre sizes, before a switch to 18-inch sizes and no tyre blankets for 2021.

Hankook is already well-known to the FIA as supplier for the European F3 series, while it has also been the sole tyre provider for the DTM since 2011.
“The ending of the tender was last night at midnight,” said Todt. “I don’t have the result yet of who has been applying for the tender.

"I know it’s more than one, that I know. I knew since a while now, before August, that Michelin was not going to compete for the tender.”
The FIA will spend the next two weeks analysing the bids, and then those bids that are considered technically capable of fulfilling the tender will be passed to the F1 organisation, who will make a call on the commercial aspects.

[PapaofGags]

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/verdi...s/4306075/

The early verdict on Pirelli's crucial 2019 changes.

Pirelli is hopeful it has addressed several key areas that impacted Formula 1 races negatively in 2018 after the teams gained experience with their 2019 tyre compounds this week.

Abu Dhabi's two-day tyre test was an opportunity for all 10 teams to trial the new compounds, all of which have a revised construction and thinner tread.

The consensus among drivers was that the 2019 tyres did not feel significantly different to 2018 that is because the fundamental changes are not based primarily on peak performance.

Pirelli was already confident that its efforts to contain blistering that blighted several races this year would be successful, and has been buoyed by feedback of the new hypersoft tyre.

The softest compound in Pirelli's range suffered extreme graining this year, which made it difficult to use in the race.
Pirelli F1 boss Mario Isola said: "The first feedback is that the new hypersoft is a good tyre. In terms of performance it's very similar to the current hypersoft. It looks like the level of graining is reduced.

"That's exactly the target of this very soft compound."

[forzaferrari]

Formula 1 official tyre supplier Pirelli has confirmed its tyre compound choices for the opening four races of the 2019 Formula 1 season, opting for a harder selection than in 2018.

Pirelli will introduce a new tyre naming system at the start of next season, switching from a range of seven dry compounds to just five, ranging from C1 to C5 as they get softer through the range. The compounds will be allocated as the Hard, Medium and Soft tyre for each race.

Pirelli will take its C2, C3 and C4 compounds to the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park on March 17 – equivalent to the Medium, Soft and Ultrasoft from 2018 – before opting for its hardest possible selection of C1, C2 and C3 for the Bahrain Grand Prix two weeks later. China will mirror the tyres for Australia as teams have C2, C3 and C4 to choose from at the Shanghai International Circuit, with the same selection being made for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku at the end of April.

The decision to opt for a slightly harder choice of tyre aligns with Pirelli’s preference to have more one-stop races but give drivers a more consistent tyre they can push harder through races.
“We have seen this year most of the races with one stop. We went softer and softer, and teams were managing the pace more and more,” Pirelli F1 chief Mario Isola said – “So is it good that we continue with this approach, or we just accept that we have one-stop races, but maybe we go one step harder and drivers can push? If you ask me my personal opinion is, it’s better to go in this direction. We accept that we have one-stop races, but at least we give the opportunity to drivers to push.”

FORMULA 1 2019 – AVAILABLE TYRE COMPOUNDS

Australia: C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), C4 (Soft)
Bahrain: C1 (Hard), C2 (Medium), C3 (Soft)
China: C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), C4 (Soft)
Azerbaijan: C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), C4 (Soft)