Formula 1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone "has backed a demand from drivers for higher-performance tyres," according to Andrew Benson of the BBC. He said that "most drivers" wanted a shift away from the current tires because they "can rarely push to the limit on them." Ecclestone said that he agreed "a million per cent" that F1 should be about drivers "racing flat out at all times." He said, "I have already told Pirelli that." However, he also defended F1's supplier, claiming the teams "needed to help Pirelli" with its tire development. Ecclestone: "The bottom line is Pirelli supply the tires in F1, they are the tires we should use and the teams and drivers should work with Pirelli to perfect the tires." Ecclestone's remarks follow those of Grand Prix Drivers' Association Chair Alexander Wurz, who said earlier this week that the drivers wanted to "help and support Pirelli to construct a tyre fit for maximum-attack racing" (BBC, 1/27). MOTORSPORT's Jonathan Noble reported Pirelli has "already made it clear in the wake of the GPDA stance, that it is open to doing whatever the sport wants it to do." Pirelli Racing Manager Mario Isola said earlier this week after the Paul Ricard wet tire test, "As we've always said, we want to follow what F1 asks us. This is another aspect of the target of development we have for the future. It's a choice. If we have to produce long-lasting tires, we need to focus on that. If we have to produce tires with degradation, we have to focus on that" (MOTORSPORT, 1/28).
'TROUBLE AHEAD': Benson reported in a separate piece Ecclestone said that there will be "trouble ahead" unless he gets his way on engines. He thinks the sport's turbo hybrid power-units "are too complicated and expensive." Instead, the 85-year-old wants a "cheaper, simpler engine that independent companies can produce, not just the bigger road-car manufacturers." He said, "Until we get an engine that can be built at a lot less cost, yes, there will be trouble ahead." Ecclestone admitted one of the reasons he wants to open up F1 to independent engine suppliers "is that car manufacturers have too much power and influence." With Mercedes and Ferrari supplying eight of the 11 teams with engines, he said that Mercedes F1 Exec Dir Toto Wolff and Ferrari President Sergio Marchionne "are able to control the decision-making F1 Commission." Ecclestone: "If we have a meeting of the F1 Commission and these two guys decide on something, which they do together, they have enough votes to stop anything going through, so they are controlling F1." He said that neither team "wanted to make changes to the engines because they both had a competitive power-unit." Ecclestone added, "Frankly, if I was either of them, I would be in the same position" (BBC, 1/28).
