Michelin has "promised tires that will let grand prix drivers race flat out at all times if it wins the tender to supply Formula 1 from '17," according to Andrew Benson of the BBC. Many drivers "dislike the current Pirelli tires, which they have to manage to require race distance by driving within themselves." Michelin Competitions Dir Pascal Couasnon said, "Michelin could really help the sport come back to its origins." He added that his tires would be three seconds a lap faster and would enable drivers to "express their talent." Couasnon went on to say, "I don't want to talk about Pirelli but at least the philosophy Michelin brings is high, stable performance for a given lifespan." When asked about what Michelin meant when it said it would produce a "durable" tire, Couasnon said, "We mean a tire that you can push to the limit for a given time." Pirelli introduced the new approach of "tires that need to be carefully managed," at the behest of F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone "when it was appointed the sport's tire supplier in 2011." Ecclestone wanted races in which drivers had to do "multiple pit stops because he regarded that as a better spectacle." Disquiet "has grown over the past few years" and earlier this month F1 bosses agreed in a meeting with the drivers and Pirelli to "reconsider the philosophy" (BBC, 9/21).
