Formula 1's new tire contract with Pirelli from '17 "has yet to be signed off with the sport's governing body, despite being agreed in October, as the Italian firm wants specific targets and testing guarantees written in," according to Alan Baldwin of REUTERS. FIA Race Dir Charlie Whiting said that the delay "was not unusual, however." Whiting: "Pirelli wanted the targets that they were asked to achieve to be put into the contract. They want more specific items in the contract regarding testing. They really just want a guarantee of testing. If we are going to set them targets, they want the tools with which to achieve those targets. Those are really the only points." The new sole supplier agreement, "already agreed with the commercial rights holder but needing to be signed off by the FIA," is for three years (REUTERS, 4/4).
ECC TALKS CONFIRMED: GRAND PRIX TIMES' Ryan Wood reported F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone has confirmed that talks with the European Competitions Commission "have taken place over the sport's governance and prize money structure." F1 teams Force India and Sauber wrote to the ECC last September "to lodge an official complaint." While "no official investigation has yet taken place," Ecclestone confirmed that EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager is getting "more and more interested" in the structure of F1. He said, "They're starting to get more and more interested in the anti-competitive way that we've got" (GRAND PRIX TIMES, 4/5).
