Formula 1 tire supply: Bridgestone challenges Pirelli for 2025

Formula 1 tire supply: Bridgestone challenges Pirelli for 2025. Bridgestone challenges Pirelli for 2025.

Bridgestone, a new threat to Pirelli
Pirelli has been the sole tire supplier in Formula 1 since the 2011 championship. Over the past decade, the Italian company has played a crucial role in the top motorsport category, facing exciting challenges such as the return to wider rear tires starting in 2017 and the debut of the new 18-inch tires in 2022.

The contract that grants Pirelli the exclusive tire supply in Formula 1 is set to expire in 2024, following an extension resulting from the pandemic, which initially had an expiration date in 2023. The Italian company has already announced that they will introduce new reinforced tires with a new material at Silverstone to cope with the increasing loads imposed on the tires by Formula 1 cars, which are generating more aerodynamic downforce and improved performance due to the development of ground-effect projects introduced in 2022. What will happen in Great Britain will be a preview of 2024, featuring the new challenge of eliminating tire warmers.

However, looking ahead to the bidding process for the 2025 season and beyond, there seems to be a formidable opponent ready to compete with Pirelli for the Formula 1 tire supply. According to Autosport, the Japanese brand Bridgestone has reportedly submitted an application to participate in the 2025 bidding process. Bridgestone participated in the Formula 1 championship from 1997 to 2010, becoming the sole tire supplier on the grid from 2007 onwards after Michelin’s departure at the end of 2006.

A Bridgestone spokesperson did not want to provide any further information on their reported interest in a Formula 1 return: “Bridgestone has a heritage of over 60 years in motorsports and we will continue to pursue sustainable global motorsports activities,” the statement informed – “However, we refrain from commenting on any particular categories.”