Tire competition - good?

[zako85]

"Extreme tyre wear 'an unpleasant surprise' - Perez"
"The wear is twice as high as last year - Brawn"
"I'm not sure if what the tyres are doing is what they (Pirelli) had expected - Ricciard"

Onestopstrategy.com >> Article >> Extreme tyre wear 'an unpleasant surprise' - Perez


At this point I start wondering, why not bring back tire competition? It seems to me that the current single tire manufacturer approach has resulted in tires optimized for a good "show". But what we need is tires for good racing. Discuss.

[EuroTroll]

Tyre competition would definitely be good IMO, because it would add to the unpredictability of races. Michelin vs. Bridgestone was brilliant because you had some tracks that suited one more, and some that suited the other. You never quite knew if it would be the top Michelin or the top Bridgestone team that would take the honours.

Added to that, F1 is generally about competition in all areas of the car. There shouldn't be any standard parts.

[Tazio]

Tyre competition would definitely be good IMO, because it would add to the unpredictability of races. Michelin vs. Bridgestone was brilliant because you had some tracks that suited one more, and some that suited the other. You never quite knew if it would be the top Michelin or the top Bridgestone team that would take the honours.

Added to that, F1 is generally about competition in all areas of the car. There shouldn't be any standard parts.

Personally, as much as I enjoyed the tire competition of the past, I don't have a problem with a level playing field for the teams in the area of tires. Having said this, it all seems a little artificial and I think the FIA has gone overboard in wanting, and endorsing tires that:

mixes up the cards to help overtaking

It is yet another step in fundamentally changing the nature of F1 races. Like it or not we are going to have to live with it this season.
These new tires are overall softer than last seasons, and I think a large part of what is going on in testing is gaining a good working understanding of the new Perizzles that will be faster across the range when new, which I think has been borne out by the fastest lap times in this week’s testing.
They are bringing super soft and medium tires to Australia, so we should get a good idea of what we have to look forward to right out of the box.

Marbles, got to hate them!


Edit: I just remembered I had a dream last night that Lewis took the lead going into the first lap of the first race, but went wide and was passed by several cars although the only ones I could make out were Jenson's and Nico's. It was also not Australia!

[Garry Walker]

Let's salute racing to delta time!

[N4D13]

Well, while I haven't been a Formula 1 fan for nearly as a long time as many people in this forum, I must say that I enjoy F1 these days and I have no qualms about it. :P I think it's fair that a team's performance should only be defined by what it does, and not by external companies such as tyre makers. Now, when everyone gets the same tyres, it's fair, isn't it? Everyone has the same chances and it's up to the teams to figure out how to make the best of the resources they're given. So in that regard, I'm OK with Pirelli being the sole distributor of tyres.

And, well, Pirelli has produced the tyres they've been asked for. In the end, it doesn't really matter whether the Pirellis last for an entire race or if they have to change tyres every ten laps or so. All teams have the same tyres and it's their responsiblity to make them work. As far as I'm concerned, the only difference between the Bridgestones and the Pirellis is that the former were much more boring.

Anyway, if you feel like it, feel free to start clubbing me for not being a purist at all.

[EuroTroll]

I think it's fair that a team's performance should only be defined by what it does, and not by external companies such as tyre makers.

By that logic, everyone should have the same engine as well. Would you like that?

Anyway, if you feel like it, feel free to start clubbing me for not being a purist at all.

Just kidding. I'm not really a purist either as I've no problem with DRS. That's right, I just came out of the non-gay closet.

[steveaki13]

I always enjoyed the tyre wars in the past. It adds a different element to the racing, the problem with the 2001-2003 period was that Michelen had decent dry tyres, but wet weather races were one sided as bridgestone cars were 5-6 seconds a lap faster. Remember 2002 British GP & US GP 2003 as particular examples.

Races ruined by the poor development done by Michelen.

[airshifter]

I don't think we need tire wars. I do however, think we need tires that don't limit performance much (if at all) and cause a race of tire strategy and no true racing. A level playing field in this regard is fine with me, but crap tires won't allow that as it will cause racing (as Garry Walker put it) to a delta time.

I know Pirelli can make the tires that will allow F1 to be a good show without trying to fix the show.

[N4D13]

By that logic, everyone should have the same engine as well. Would you like that?

Well, I guess there's a difference between tyres as engines, since, as far as I know, no team in recent history has made their own tyres (has any team ever actually done this?). So while I understand the logic of your post, I don't really think it's the same situation.

[Tazio]

I agree with N'3, that is an apples and oranges comparison. The McLaren ECU and the tires would be a more appropriate one IMHO.