Pirelli Casts Doubt on Future WRC Support

Bridgestone has announced its discontinuation of Formula One tyre supply, and it appears Pirelli is less than certain about its future with the World Rally Championship. According to the autosport.com website, Pirelli’s director of motorsport Paul Hembery has admitted there are no guarantees company will bid for a second term as WRC control tyre supplier following the current deal’s expiry at the end of 2010.

Hembery says, according to the website, that while the Italian firm will “consider” the FIA’s tender document for the 2011 to 2013 seasons, it is unlikely to sign up to a deal akin to the current contract. “We’ll sit down and look at the document,” said Hembery, “but the world has changed significantly since the last time we made our proposal to the FIA…Don’t forget, we’ve had to close factories, lay people off and sometimes the sport has to come second. This is purely a financial thing.”

Pirelli’s eleven million euro investment in the current three-year contract has covered schemes such as the Pirelli Star Driver programme, which takes up and coming drivers from the African, Asia-Pacific, European and Middle-East FIA Regional Championships and puts them in Group N cars for six rounds of the WRC. This year’s programme helped uncover Finnish driver Jarkko Nikara.

Autoport.com comments that Michelin is expected to tender for the WRC contract via its BFGoodrich brand, which is currently supplying teams in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.