Michelin to end involvement in F1 racing - ZR-1 Net Registry Forums

gaijin · 12-15-2005

PARIS (Reuters) - Michelin is ending its involvement with Formula One racing after the 2006 season after a decision by the organising body to prefer only one tyre supplier, the French group said on Wednesday.

This leaves Bridgestone of Japan as the single supplier.

"This decision is the result of the realisation that there is a profound disagreement between the sports philosophy that has always been driving Michelin and the management practices of the F1 authorities," company boss Edouard Michelin said in a statement.

He said the uncertainty thrown up by the F1 authorities did not give sufficient guarantees to justify long-term investments.

Michelin supplies seven of the 10 Formula 1 teams and Bridgestone the rest. In 2006 they will have an equal split as Williams and Toyota are leaving Michelin.

The French tyre maker, the world's biggest, clashed with the FIA over the U.S. Grand Prix fiasco in June when its seven teams failed to start due to tyre safety concerns at Indianopolis.

The French group said that after consultations with its teams -- McLaren/Mercedes, BMW/Sauber, Renault F1 and Honda Racing F1 -- it seemed the move to one tyre supplier was "unavoidable".

It promised full support to the teams in 2006 and said it could come back to the sport if the rules were changed "profoundly" in the future.

Michelin shares dropped on the news, turning a small gain into a 0.2 percent loss at 1441 GMT.

Aurora40 · 12-15-2005

Well, I don't blame them. It seems F1 wants a single-tire series. That said, Goodyear has been (IMO) on a bit of a slow decline after pulling out of F1. I remember a year or two back when even Team Corvette switched over to Michelin because Goodyear wasn't cutting it in ALMS. Goodyear used to be the one to beat, with street tires too. Now it seems they are mostly mediocre with only a few standouts in the Eagle F1 line. Though I don't think the same will happen to Michelin.

12-15-2005	#1
gaijin Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Road Atlanta Posts: 371	Michelin to end involvement in F1 racing PARIS (Reuters) - Michelin is ending its involvement with Formula One racing after the 2006 season after a decision by the organising body to prefer only one tyre supplier, the French group said on Wednesday. This leaves Bridgestone of Japan as the single supplier. "This decision is the result of the realisation that there is a profound disagreement between the sports philosophy that has always been driving Michelin and the management practices of the F1 authorities," company boss Edouard Michelin said in a statement. He said the uncertainty thrown up by the F1 authorities did not give sufficient guarantees to justify long-term investments. Michelin supplies seven of the 10 Formula 1 teams and Bridgestone the rest. In 2006 they will have an equal split as Williams and Toyota are leaving Michelin. The French tyre maker, the world's biggest, clashed with the FIA over the U.S. Grand Prix fiasco in June when its seven teams failed to start due to tyre safety concerns at Indianopolis. The French group said that after consultations with its teams -- McLaren/Mercedes, BMW/Sauber, Renault F1 and Honda Racing F1 -- it seemed the move to one tyre supplier was "unavoidable". It promised full support to the teams in 2006 and said it could come back to the sport if the rules were changed "profoundly" in the future. Michelin shares dropped on the news, turning a small gain into a 0.2 percent loss at 1441 GMT.

12-15-2005	#2
Aurora40 Join Date: May 2005 Location: Leesburg, VA Posts: 2,713	Re: Michelin to end involvement in F1 racing Well, I don't blame them. It seems F1 wants a single-tire series. That said, Goodyear has been (IMO) on a bit of a slow decline after pulling out of F1. I remember a year or two back when even Team Corvette switched over to Michelin because Goodyear wasn't cutting it in ALMS. Goodyear used to be the one to beat, with street tires too. Now it seems they are mostly mediocre with only a few standouts in the Eagle F1 line. Though I don't think the same will happen to Michelin. __________________ Bob Saveland Former owner of #2517 [IMG]http://a.random-image.net/aurora40/vette.jpg[/img]