F1 should keep 13-inch tires

La F1 should keep its 13-inch tires even if the 18-inch diameter has been considered in recent months. The subject was brought up to date at the Monaco GP whena demonstration was carried out by Pirelli in GP2. But the majority of teams seem to prefer to keep the current format.

“There is a new manufacturer contract for 2017 and the subject of larger tires has been raised over the last 5 or 8 years, but I think it is not a good solution”, commented Paddy Lowe, technical director of Mercedes, at a press conference in the Canadian GP paddock. “It is not positive in terms of grip, the level of which will be lower, and in terms of weight, which will increase considerably. Performance would be affected. »

James Allison, the technical director of the Team Ferrari, however, was more open. “The diameter of the rims should remain unchanged but the width of the tires can be changed. It’s under discussion among other topics and I think it needs to be done as quickly as possible…”, developed the British engineer.

Michelin had revealed its desire to return to F1 provided that the 18 inch diameter (that used in Formula E of which the Clermont-based manufacturer is the supplier) is adopted.