Tost and Horner uneasy about possible F1 tire war - MotorSportsTalk

Scuderia Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost believes that a possible tire war between multiple suppliers in Formula 1 would only do damage to the sport and benefit the very biggest works teams.

Following the F1 Strategy Group’s approval of widespread changes to the sport for the 2017 season, Michelin has expressed an interest in returning alongside current supplier Pirelli.

There has been just one tire supplier in F1 since 2007 following Michelin’s exit, with Pirelli picking up the contract in 2011 from Japanese company Bridgestone.

Although a tire war has been supported by some in the belief that competition will improve the quality of the compounds produced and make F1 more road-relevant, many have raised concerns about the costs involved for the suppliers and the teams.

However, Tost believes that it will also kill off a lot of competition in F1 as only the biggest teams would get the best quality of tires from a supplier.

“I just hope that no tire war will come, that means no other tyre manufacturer, because this means that two teams will get the good tires and the rest will just get crap,” Tost said.

“Because like it was before, when Michelin was in, it was Renault therefore [Fernando] Alonso has good memories and Bridgestone with Ferrari, therefore Michael [Schumacher] was so successful.

“If this comes back, it’s the same story: the two tire manufacturers, two teams which get good tires; three tire manufacturers three teams and the rest just get what the others don’t like.

“That means the complete competition would drive in a completely different direction. Then we would have, after now the power unit Formula 1, we would have the tyre Formula 1. Once the power units are stabilised, we open the next problem.”

His thoughts were echoed in Monaco by Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who said that having just one supplier for all of the teams in F1 promoted equality and therefore competition.

“I think Franz summed it up splendidly, that one make tire is equality for all of the teams,” Horner said. “I think that in the times of tire wars then of course effort does have to go behind your leading charge and it will drive costs up immeasurably as you have to develop your car around a specific tire.

“I think it’s been one of the successes in having a sole tire and I think that that’s one of the reasons for example that Red Bull has been able to achieve the success that it’s been able to achieve as an independent team.

“We perhaps would never have been able to enjoy [success] in the event that there was open competition with tire manufacturers aligned to automotive manufacturers, which is of course is where their core income comes from.”

Follow @LukeSmithF1

Vicki Golden has earned a career worthy of a thousand stories and 805 Beer tells at least one of them, as “Inverted Perspective” premiered March 30 on the company’s website and YouTube channel.

Golden did more to break the glass ceiling in SuperMotocross than she ever thought possible. She knows this because riders have never felt the need to explain any of her accomplishments with the disclaimer, “for a girl”.

At this point in Golden’s career, she’s been the first woman to finish top 10 in AMA Arenacross Lites, the first woman to qualify in the Fast 40 in Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the first woman to compete in freestyle Moto X competition, earning a bronze medal by doing so.

Her love for moto came from childhood while she watched her dad and brother ride. By seven she was on her bike and making waves throughout Southern California.

Golden, 30, is still madly in love with the sport and has no plans on moving away but her career is already one to talk about. 805 Beer’s film series wanted to do exactly that.

“I’m taken aback by it all,” Golden told NBC Sports about the documentary. “It’s just crazy to see your story, it’s one thing to live your life and battle everything that comes about but it’s another to just sit there and talk about it.”

805 approached Golden about the feature by asking, “Do you even realize that what you do, and your story is special?”

Golden took the question as a blank canvas to map out the highs and lows of her career and life.

Women in SuperMotocross: Jordan Jarvis knows how tough it is

The title “Inverted Perspective” came from a brainstorming session with Dominick Russo and it highlights Golden’s outlook on the sport of SuperMotocross and her life in general.

“My whole life, my whole career was thinking differently and looking at things that shouldn’t be done and aren’t there, while being able to make a place for myself, where no one thought there should be a place,” Golden said. “It’s inspiring someone to think in different ways. It sums up my life.”

*Vicki Golden is not “fast for a girl”; she’s just fast. – 805 Beer*

While Golden is no stranger to the spotlight, this was the first time she’s been fully involved with the storytelling and creation of a feature about herself.

“It’s not like a full new experience,” Golden said. “Obviously, you get your standard questions about your upbringing and accomplishments, but I’ve never really put into perspective things that happened in my past with my dad and putting that to light. Also, certain other things that maybe got overlooked in previous interviews or films. I wanted to touch on these and Dom wanted to create a story. It’s just cool to see it come to light, it’s a nearly impossible thing to tell somebody’s life story in 40 minutes.”

Golden’s father was left paralyzed after an ATV accident, robbing him the opportunity to ride again. This happened a few months before the father-daughter duo was set to compete in the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Nationals when Vicki was 12. While she might have been unable to grasp the severity at the time, it’s something she carries with her. Golden continues to ride in his honor.

Years later, an accident in 2018 nearly sidelined the then 25-year-old Vicki when a freestyle accident almost resulted in the amputation of her lower leg.

Women in SuperMotocross Ashley Fiolek is building community

Golden 805 Beer — *Vicki Golden has ridden a variety of disciplines in SuperMotocross, which gives her a unique perspective. – 805 Beer*

“Inverted Perspective” highlights her father’s diligence in helping Vicki continue with her career and the kindness and strength he carried while fighting his own battle.

“My dad was the entire reason that I started riding in the first place,” Golden said. “So, to honor his memory and to honor what we went through and how hard he pushed to keep our dream alive and keep everything going – in that sense then, it was really special to be able to honor him and talk about him.”

The 40-minute feature was filmed entirely in black and white, a stark contrast from the oversaturated world of motocross where the brighter the suit the easier it is for fans to find their rider and follow him in the race. By filming in monochrome Russo and Golden had the chance to focus on the race and track from a different perspective.

“It was cool to be able to film it differently,” Golden said. “It created a challenge in the sense of what was going to be more visually impactful for the film.

“I couldn’t be here without the companies that back me but at the same time, it’s not like the logos or colors disappeared, it’s just different lights shed on different spots. It’s just a cool way to do it and to take color away and still be impactful. When you think of black and white, you think of old school, the OG way of doing things.”

Read more about SuperMotocross