Why is Pirelli the only tire supplier in F1?
2 Answers
To make the races more fair and competitive, the FIA changed the rules to allow only one tire supplier to support the competition. Here is some relevant information about Pirelli: 1. Status: Pirelli, one of the world's most renowned tire companies, was founded in Italy in 1872. Pirelli is also the main sponsor of the Inter Milan football club. 2. Achievements: With 24 factories in 12 countries worldwide, over a century of tire manufacturing experience has endowed Pirelli tires with excellent performance in comfort, durability, and safety. Pirelli places great emphasis on the Chinese market and has long been recognized by world-famous car manufacturers. Prestigious automotive brands such as Audi, Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz all designate Pirelli tires as their original equipment tires.
I've always been a die-hard F1 fan. I remember before 2011, there were multiple tire suppliers like Michelin and Bridgestone competing in F1. But the governing body FIA decided to implement a single-supplier tender system to control costs and improve fairness. Eventually, Pirelli won the bid and signed a long-term contract, becoming the sole supplier ever since. Among fans, there's discussion that this reduces teams' R&D pressure, saving hundreds of millions in testing costs while ensuring more stable races. I think although this system loses tire diversity, it allows audiences to focus more on vehicle performance rather than tire differences. Now Pirelli keeps innovating with wet tires and soft/hard compounds to ensure exciting races. Looking back, the competitive era had more sparks but skyrocketing costs made small teams suffer. The wheel of history keeps turning – perhaps unified tires were a safety consideration for long-term development.
