Pirelli haven’t quite secured the contract to supply Formula One with tyres for the 2011 season as many websites have reported.
In fact, Michelin are set to meet with the teams on Sunday morning in a last ditch attempt to convince them to choose the French company.
It’s thought Michelin will revise their offer to make it a more attractive proposition. The deal could include cheaper supply to the teams as well as increasing the tyre sets over a weekend which, according to F1 journalist Adam Cooper, could be a sticking point in the deal.
The larger teams seem to prefer the Michelin deal – thanks to their previous knowledge of F1, having supplied several teams in the past. Whereas the smaller teams, where money is a greater factor, prefer the cheaper Pirelli option.
However with Michelin expected to lower their price, which The F1 Times understands to be about £420,000 (€500,000, $615,000) more than Pirelli’s, per team, the smaller teams could be convinced to switch sides.
Martin Whitmarsh confirmed to Autosport that the meeting was taking place and a new deal was the subject matter.
“I think the teams had narrowed it down to one direction, but the other supplier has offered to do something more than they were offered in the last two days,” said the McLaren team principal.
“Someone is coming here to speak to the teams to make an improved offer from what was previously their final offer.
“I think some teams want the cheapest possible supply, other teams want the highest quality of technical information and technical support,” he explained.
Meanwhile, according to Cooper, it has also emerged that one top team has been enjoying a different contractual agreement with Bridgestone – something the other teams aren’t at all happy with.
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