Pirelli signed a four-year deal to remain Formula 1's sole tire supplier through the '23 season, according to Alan Baldwin of REUTERS. The current deal was due to expire at the end of '19 and FIA said last September that "more than one company had tendered," although Pirelli's French rival, Michelin, "had ruled itself out." Media reports had indicated South Korea's Hankook as the other bidder. The tender called for a switch from 13-inch wheel rims to 18-inch rims in '21, meaning that any new entrant "faced the added cost" of having to design one type of tire for '20 and a new one for the following three years (REUTERS, 11/25).
DRIVERS WELCOME PIRELLI: The BBC's Andrew Benson reported F1 drivers welcomed a new tire supply contract for Pirelli as a chance to make the tires "more raceable." Grand Prix Drivers' Association Chair Alexander Wurz said, "Now we know Pirelli will remain as our partner, I welcome their efforts to cooperate more intensely with the drivers to tune their product for higher track performance." The 44-year-old Austrian, who raced for Benetton, Williams and McLaren in a career that spanned a decade, said that Pirelli met with the GPDA in the drivers' briefing at the Brazilian Grand Prix earlier this month and "promised it would address the issue" (BBC, 11/25).
