Pirelli and Bridgestone are two competitors in the battle for the contract

Bridgestone has applied to participate in the tender, the winner of which will be entitled to become the official race tire supplier for Formula 1 teams in 2025-2027, and we’ve been talking about it.

The FIA ​​confirmed that they were accepting applications not only from Pirelli, who have been cooperating with the World Championship for 13 years, but also from Japanese tire manufacturers. Bridgestone once had a very rich experience, because in the recent history of Formula 1 there was a rather long period when this company was the official supplier of rubber – first together with Michelin, and since 2007 – a monopoly. But this was only until 2010, after which the championship switched to Pirelli tyres.

On the other hand, Formula 1 has changed a lot since then, the tire load has changed, the cars have become almost 200 kg heavier, the engines have become much more powerful and the lap times have been reduced by an average of two seconds. . According to experts quoted by the German edition of Auto Motor und Sport, all this led to an increase in load of about 50%.

The FIA ​​confirmed that both companies are eligible to participate in the tender, i.е. the federation has no doubts that they can produce tires of the required quality and quantity. In the next phase, Pirelli and Bridgestone will present their commercial proposals to Formula 1. For now, we’re talking about $50 to $100 million, which the tire manufacturers will attribute to sponsorship and marketing costs.

But the financial side of things, while important, is not the only determining factor. The most important is still the quality of the rubber and the ability of tire manufacturers to modernize their products. As emphasized by Mario Isola, head of Pirelli’s racing division, the Italian company has done everything that has been asked of it for 13 years: “We are not only a supplier, but also a partner that guarantees to meet all the wishes of Formula 1.”

More than once, the Italian company really had to start everything almost from scratch to develop new tire designs and rubber compounds. This was also the case in 2017, when the championship switched to wider tyres, and then in 2022, when the size was increased from 13 inches to 18 inches. And now another transition is expected, this time to tires that do not need to be preheated using electric thermal covers.

In addition, some improvements were regularly made almost every season – in accordance with the wishes of both the teams and the championship organizers. Pirelli employs around 1,000 employees for Formula 1, some on a permanent basis, some joining from time to time. Among them are 200 engineers.

It often happened that Pirelli did not have much time to respond to requests from Formula 1. Usually it was only eight or nine months, as every year the upgraded tires for the following season had to be homologated before September 1. Only in the case of 18-inch tires did they have a little more time at their disposal – the tire workers were given an extra five months to complete this order.

“Thanks to working with virtual models, we were able to speed up all processes by about 30%, also because we have to produce fewer prototype tires before we get the final result. Many tasks are solved in advance thanks to simulators,” added Isola.

At the same time, the spending side of the Pirelli program is also affected by the fact that two factories are engaged in the production of rubber for Formula 1 – one in Romania, the second in Turkey. Both produce tires of absolutely the same quality. According to Isola, this makes it possible to guarantee an uninterrupted supply of rubber at all times, even if problems arise at one of the factories.

A separate source of pride for the Italian company is its highest level FIA environmental certification (three stars).

In general, any tire company in the world, if it is serious about taking Pirelli’s place, will have to solve many difficult tasks. Of course, Bridgestone understands all this and has made all the necessary calculations. But now both companies can only wait for the decision of the FIA ​​​​​​​​and Formula 1.

The specific date for this decision to be made is not mentioned, but it is clear that the sooner this happens, the better for the tire manufacturers, especially for the Japanese, because if the choice falls on them, they will have to make new tires very quickly and adapt their production, despite not having the experience that Pirelli has.

In addition, it will be necessary to complete two programs in a short time, as tires will have to be developed first for 2025 and then for 2026, when Formula 1 will switch to new generation cars.