Tyre war decision down to F1 says Pirelli

Pirelli have refused to be drawn on the ongoing discussions regarding the future of tyres in Formula One.

One change could be a return to two different tyre manufacturers like Formula One used to have six years ago with Michelin and Bridgestone.

It was one of the least competitive periods of Formula One, with a strong partnership between Bridgestone and Ferrari leading to Michael Schumacher dominating the sport.

Pirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery insisted that a decision would not be theirs and that Pirelli simply work for Formula One who would be the ones to make a decision.

'We work for the sport. The sport has to decide what it wants, If it wants a tyre war and procession racing again, like it did in the early 2000s, when the audience disappeared, than that's one approach. It's not for us to decide. Hembery told Autosport Magazine.

But from his comments, its fairly obvious that Pirelli would be against the idea of competing tyre manufacturers and its not simply down to the Italian company being unwilling to share the spotlight.

'We would have to see the rules first, what does it really mean to have a tyre war? If it means spending 100 million euros to go half a second quicker, and you can't even prove that you have the better tyre, because the teams will dominate still, it is pointless,' he said.

Not only are Pirelli against the idea, but he also believes that the teams wouldn't be fond of the idea of returning to two different tyre manufacturers.

He concluded: 'All the teams I've talked to don't want a tyre war. They see it as money wasted on an area they can't control, and have limited value to the public. And ultimately at least for safety issues, The tyre companies would push the safety barriers, because that's where you get performance.

Pirelli's current contract to be Formula One's official tyre manufacturer runs until the end of the 2013 Formula One World Championship.

A decision regarding the 2014 season and beyond will be made in June 2013.