Michelin does not rule out a return to Formula 1

Michelin has not denied rumors of a change with Pirelli as the sole supplier of F1. Some rumors speak of the French tire manufacturer as the main candidate, with the support of FIA president Jean Todt. But Pascal Couasnon, Michelin's competition manager, declared that the French company would not consider a return to F1 just to make up for the possible abandonment of Pirelli.

“I can't categorically rule out a return,” Couasnon told Speed ​​Week. “We all live in the same world, and it's clear what F1 is in terms of visibility. And also on a technological level, F1 can be extremely interesting” he added. “We would like to sit down and make some suggestions” indicating that Michelin would like some changes to the rules. “In terms of the type of tyres, in terms of visibility, and on what is the right mix for the show and the challenge for the tire suppliers. We would suggest, for example, changing the size of the tires for the F1s. Today in F1 there are 13-inch wheels, but they are not of interest to us. 18 inches would be something else."

Couasnon explained that the current rules are not in accordance with F1's choice to become more ecological: “A tire that only lasts seven laps is difficult to correlate with an ecological idea. We would only be interested in F1 with smart rules in terms of tyres. A return as the 'saviors' of F1 is not enough. If there was another way we could say 'why not?'”.