Pirelli have been given an extension to submit their tire designs for the 2014 Formula One season should they extend their contract with the sport into next year.
The Italian tire supplier has come under fire this season for its designs. At the beginning of the year, many of the teams criticized the tires for not allowing their drivers to push to the limit throughout the race, but the proposed ‘prototype’ tire was rejected. The crisis worsened at the British Grand Prix following a series of concerning tire failures, prompting Pirelli to re-introduce its 2012 tire construction on safety grounds. Despite all of these issues, Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery explained to Sporting Life how he was still seeking a contract renewal and that he had obtained an extension to submit the initial plans.
“We’re in the most bizarre situation,” Hembery explained. “There isn’t a clearly defined process but we’re going forward, getting the teams signed up, the promoter signed up and we’re working on 2014. We’ve agreements in place with the majority of the people involved, co-operation from them, and we’ve ongoing co-operation from the FIA.
“Until somebody tells us anything different, we don’t know what we should be doing differently.
“For now, with regards to the plans for 2014, we’re going for October 1st, so we’ve a few more weeks yet.”
Hembery had previously expressed his concerns over a lack of knowledge for next season, claiming that it would be impossible for Pirelli to re-design tires for 2013 whilst developing new compounds for next season. However, by reverting to last season’s tires, it would appear that a solution has been found and Pirelli could yet secure its fourth season in F1 for 2014.
