Michelin not interested in F1 tyres that “destroy themselves”

According to comments from Florent Menegaux, we shouldn’t expect to see Michelin in Formula One from 2025. Speaking to US-based automotive site The Drive, the chief executive stated that Michelin isn’t interested in supplying tyres to F1 again unless the FIA alters its view on how they should perform. In short, the French firm doesn’t want to make tyres that liven proceedings by falling apart.

“They say to have the show, you have to have tyres that destroy themselves,” observed Menegaux in conversation with The Drive. “And I think, we don’t know how to do this. So, we cannot agree.” The chief executive officer says drivers “want to be at their maximum all the time” and believes that rather than accommodating tyres that degrade at specific rates, teams should deploy tyres that perform “from the first lap around the circuit to the last.”

What’s more, Menegaux emphasises that Michelin isn’t in motorsport for “the show” and that the main purpose isn’t to promote the brand. “It’s about the technology. We are in racing because it’s the best way to very quickly live test new technology. That’s the first reason.” He concedes that brand awareness is a “side benefit” of motorsport engagements, albeit not particularly a necessary one for ”one of the best-known brands in the world.”