Mario Isola speaks on the future Pirelli F1 contract with the current one to expire in 2024, as he adds on the tyre choice for Miami GP.
Due to COVID-19, the current Pirelli contract with F1 was extended to until 2024 which would have been in-line with the current engine regulation. But now with the latter set to be extended by one year to 2026, it leaves the manufacturer with one year gap.
There is a chance that Pirelli may get that one-year extension but due process will have to be followed by F1 and the FIA. There is a tender process which Isola reckons will come into effect mid-season in 2022 and they think it will be sorted.
“It’s not in our hands at the decision and in general we are happy with our experience in Formula 1 and we want to continue but we had already an extension for 2024, that this contract is subject to a tender process and it’s up to the FIA to decide how to manage the situation together with Formula 1,” said Pirelli F1 chief Isola.
“Usually the tender is released not at the end of this year, but mid of next year, because it’s the same process we had in the past. That means that the decision is for the end of next year, to give one year’s time to the winner of the tender to prepare for the season. And yeah, we are hoping to discuss with Formula 1 for the future.
“Clearly, as I said already, it’s a lot going on. And we have to discuss more in detail about that. But it is a tender. So at the end is up to the offer and the characteristics and the elements that are included in the tender,” summed up Isola.
Amid the talks around the future contract, Isola also explained the decision to go with C2, C3 and C4 tyre for Miami GP which the Italian says is a conservative choice. “We got some information from the organiser, to understand which type of asphalt we are going to find in Miami and together with the simulations provided by the teams, we decided to nominated the C2, C3 and C4,” stated Isola.
“It’s a conservative choice, obviously, but we believe is the best option for Miami. It’s a bit of an unknown for everybody. It’s street circuit, so with the characteristics of a track that are usually different from any other track, and I’m quite excited to go there and see what happens.”
Here’s Ferrari testing 2023 Pirelli tyres