Michelin is back on track. "We are studying a possible return to Formula 1," a spokesman for the tire manufacturer told France Presse on the sidelines of the Belgian Grand Prix.
A surprise statement, not only due to the extremely short calendar. At the end of 2006, the group from Clermont-Ferrand had left the circus of grand prix by slamming the door, after a tug of war with the FIA, arguing that it had no interest in being the tire supplier for single-seaters if it could not compete with a competitor.
"We left when the international federation decided that all the cars had to have the same tire supplier - explained Nick Shorrok, Michelin's race director in 2011 - as long as this is the case, we will not return".
An argument that is crumbling, while the contract with Pirelli - the current supplier - has not yet been renewed, three months before the end of the season. The teams today suffer from the problems deriving from the premature degradation of Italian tires and must think about the future, with the design of new cars for 2014, with innovations so great as to force them to rethink the tyres.
“We know what Formula 1 can represent in terms of visibility. We are ready to present new ideas to ensure the spectacularity of the races and welcome the challenges of new technologies,” said the current Michelin race director Pascal Couasnon in June.
In 2010 there had already been negotiations to bring back the French group, in place of the Japanese of Bridgestone, but in the end it was Pirelli who won. Now Michelin wants the change in technical regulations and the number of tire changes to no longer dictate the composition of the podium. "Tyres don't deserve the image they have today in Formula 1 - continues Couasnon - in rallies, we have worked in such a way as to use 20 percent less tires over the same distances during the season".
At the moment, the French group is present in WRC rallies, races with cars closer to those used by the general public, but less visible in the media. Michelin claims to be able to supply tires for the first tests of the 2014 season, scheduled for the end of January.
Pirelli's reaction was immediate: “To say that we are already ready for 2014 is a farce. It takes an extra year,” said Paul Hembery, race director of the Italian tire manufacturer.
