Cooper Avon Confirms Formula One Supply Talks
Following reports that Avon Motorsport is the latest in the growing list of tyre suppliers discussing the possibility of supplying tyres to Formula One, Cooper Avon’s representatives released a statement confirming that talks are ongoing: “As a major motorsport tyre manufacturer Cooper Tire, through its Avon Tyres Motorsport operation, has been approached to supply Formula 1. The company is in discussion with the relevant parties and cannot comment further at this stage.”
Reports by Autosport magazine, which claims to have broken the news about Cooper Avon’s last minute entrance to talks over the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, suggest the matter should be resolved by the Spanish Grand Prix – the next meeting on the calendar between 7 and 9 May – since the teams need to begin work on their cars’ 2011 design. Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing’s chief, told Autosport he thought there were “two credible options potentially on the table” – hinting that the decision may come down to Michelin versus Cooper Avon – and that he was “totally impartial” about the outcome of negotiations. Ferrari’s Stefano Domenicali and McLaren’s Martin Whitmarsh made similar comments.
While Michelin has often been quoted as being in favour of competition in motorsport tyre provision, Cooper Avon has often told tyrepress.com of its belief in single supplier series. Upon his retirement at the launch of the 2010 Avon Tyres British GT Championship and Cooper Tire British F3 International Series, Avon Motorsport manager Roger Everson told tyrepress.com that the manufacturer saw solitary tyre suppliers as the best option for motorsport, providing one less variable and therefore allowing series to test driver skill.
This line of reasoning was also taken by Cooper Avon’s marketing and motorsport director Julian Baldwin when the company supported the A1GP series. Tyrepress.com asked if operating as a single supplier hamstrung the manufacturer, Baldwin replied: “Take a look at tyres in Formula 1 [then supplied by Michelin and Bridgestone in compertition]. They are either not mentioned or mentioned negatively. And an open tyre series escalates cost… Increasingly there is a lot more linkage between road and race, in both directions. We haven’t gone for the fastest tyres, but we have gone for the one that was the most fun and provided the best all round performance.”
With this in mind, it seems unlikely that there will be competition between Cooper Avon and Michelin in Formula One. However, all the signs are now suggesting that the 2011 season will see one of these two companies take up the mantle.
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