Teams are expected to make a decision regarding tyre supply for the 2011 season and beyond later today.
Meetings have been scheduled for Sunday to discuss several offers from multiple suppliers including: Michelin, Cooper Avon and Pirelli.
Ross Brawn hinted at Pirelli possibly being the favourite option as they have offered supply at a more competitive rate than Michelin and are also willing to commit to trackside sponsorship.
“I think we had a very good proposal from Pirelli which needs looking at seriously, so we are in a better position than we were several months ago,” Ross Brawn explained. “F1 has now got some serious proposals, whereas a few months ago we had nothing.”
Teams are keen to finalise a deal so they can begin to design their 2011 cars. Different tyres can mean big changes to the design as seen this year when Mercedes GP were caught off guard by the narrower front tyres.
— Update —
Teams failed to come to an agreement at Sunday’s meeting, however Williams CEO Adam Parr told Autosport that a decision isn’t far off.
“We are making very good progress, but haven’t made a final decision,” Parr said.
“We have a couple of good proposals on the table and each one has its own merits. There are a couple of details, but we have to make a decision soon.
“We are days rather than weeks [away]. It is down to two or three options on the table and we are close to deciding which way we go.”
