Pirelli boss not pleased with hype for the return of tire showdown, wants ‘drivers to be the heroes’ on race days

Mario Isola has admitted that Pirelli wants to continue as F1's tire supplier for years to come.

Pirelli boss not pleased with hype for the return of tire showdown, wants ‘drivers to be the heroes’ on race days

Mario Isola (Credits: Tyrepress)

F1 has become a global phenomenon in recent years, and the Italian tire manufacturer, Pirelli, has been at the center of it. It has been supplying the F1 tires for a long time, and its boss, Mario Isola, has recently come forward and talked about the attention his company and Bridgestone have got regarding a deal with F1 for 2025.

Pirelli has a contract with F1 until the end of the 2024 season, and keeping this in view, the sport’s hierarchy opened a tender earlier in the year for the exclusive supply of tires from 2025 onward. Bridgestone has submitted an official bid to become the supplier from 2025, and F1 is soon expected to make an announcement.

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While all the shenanigans regarding a tires deal for 2025 are taking place, Mario Isola told Sky Sports F1, “It’s difficult. If you look at all the motorsport championships in the world, having a sole supplier for tires is now a common approach. You save money. The risk is when you are in competition, the race is decided by tires and not by the cars or drivers. We want the drivers to be the heroes of the show, not the tires.“

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“We are happy to be part of the show and give our contribution to the show but not to replace drivers. That’s not right.” Isola has stressed the fact that the F1 drivers are the main attraction of the sport, and he is not too pleased with the attention that Pirelli and Bridgestone have got because of its ongoing negotiations with F1.

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Pirelli is determined to continue as the supplier of tires in F1

Pirelli (Credits: FIA)
Pirelli F1 tires (Credits: FIA)

While Bridgestone is considered to be in strong contention to replace Pirelli from 2025 onward, Isola has made it known that they are not willing to disappear from the pinnacle of motor racing just yet. While shedding light on the same, he said, “We are not tired of F1. I believe we have a long-term project with F1 and the FIA that are running. We want to extend our contract because the sport is healthy.“

“We are part of the show, and I believe we are a partner, not just a tire supplier. We have the appetite to continue.It’s easy to criticize tires because we are the sole supplier. I understand people can have a different view,” he added.

Mario Isola has made it crystal clear that Pirelli is here to stay in F1 and is fully committed to making the sport a grander success than it already is. However, Bridgestone also carries a lot of might in the world of tire manufacturers, and considering this fact, it will be fascinating to see in which direction F1 would eventually decide to go.

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