Michelin Considering an F1 Return in 2020?

French tyre manufacturer Michelin has said that they are contemplating a return to F1 in 2020. Last week, the FIA put forward a tender for an official Formula 1 tyre supplier to supply the sport from 2020 to 2023. According to a Michelin spokesperson, the tender has been acknowledged and the company are interested in a return.

“Yes we are studying the text,” he said. “We need to ensure the specifications are consistent with Michelin’s approach to technology.”

Currently, Italian tyre manufacturer Pirelli, has been F1’s official tyre supplier since 2011. One of the demands of the sport off late has been, to provide high-degradation rubber. The idea is to create more exciting races for the fans and the teams alike.

According to the FIA-issued tender, the 2020-23 supplier must meet “objectives that affect the sporting spectacle… related to degradation, durability, temperature working range or wear characteristics.”

However, Michelin’s spokesperson said that the company “is not interested in the show – there has to be a technical challenge for Michelin.”

The four-year contract states that the supplier must provide rubber that will fit the current-specification 13-inch wheels in 2020. It must also cater to a new 18-inch format from 2021. This could present a potential obstacle to an incoming supplier.

“For us to build a 13-inch tyre is something we can do but we wouldn’t want to have to,” said the spokesperson. “It adds an additional level of complexity and is something we wouldn’t want to happen.”

Even FIA race director Charlie Whiting has confessed that the 13-inch rims are “pretty old-fashioned”. According to him, there have been discussions “between our legal department and the legal department of the current supplier” regarding the new tyre tender and new wheel format.

“It would probably have been quite elegant if we’d been able to extend the existing contract but that wasn’t possible,” said Whiting.