Formula 1's current tyre supplier, Pirelli, has issues a warning that time is running out to sign a contract to continue supplying the sport with tyres beyond this season.
The Italian firm has come under fire recently for producing tyres with too high degradation and wear, causing teams like Red Bull and Mercedes to struggle with maintenance of the crucial rubber.
Pirelli revealed that unless they get an answer soon over their future with the sport, they will quit. Talks between the manufacturer and teams has stalled recently after the compound issues and time is running out.
Motorsport Director Paul Hembery said in the Monaco paddock on Thursday that the sport was edging closer to an "extremely serious situation" and that if a deal is not signed and agreed to soon, there would not be enough time to develop and create the tyres used in 2014.
He told AUTOSPORT "Apparently on September 1, we are meant to tell them [ the teams] everything that they need to know with the tyres for next season, but now we are in mid-May," and with the deadline just over three months away, he added "You can imagine how ludicrous that is when we have not got contracts in place."
Admitting that an exit from the could be possible, Hembery said "Maybe we won't be here."
With big changes coming into force for 2014, the Brit emphasised the need for a swift decision. Whilst he did not want to reveal the firms own internal deadline, time is of the essence and teams need to realise the seriousness of the situation. "I have always said we will never declare an internal deadline but clearly time is already too late, things are getting extremely serious because the changes next year are substantial."
Continuing, he said "The sport has to make a rapid decision because aside from having the fixed resources in the business involved in F1, we need to do a technical job as well. It is not just a case of maybe putting a harder compound into this year's tyres. The changes are so dramatic that we will need to do a thorough re-engineering of the tyre," he warned.
Hembery admitted that a lot of time is needed for them to perfect and create next years rubber, and "the longer this [uncertainty] goes on, it makes our job impossible. There comes a time where we will not have time to do the job any more."
Pirelli will bring updated compounds of their 2013 range to Canada for the seventh round of the season to improve the safety of the tyre, however a contract is needed in the next month so the firm can get to work on 2014 as uncertainty greatly limits the amount of work they can do.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Pirelli revealed that unless they get an answer soon over their future with the sport, they will quit. Talks between the manufacturer and teams has stalled recently after the compound issues and time is running out.
Motorsport Director Paul Hembery said in the Monaco paddock on Thursday that the sport was edging closer to an "extremely serious situation" and that if a deal is not signed and agreed to soon, there would not be enough time to develop and create the tyres used in 2014.
He told AUTOSPORT "Apparently on September 1, we are meant to tell them [ the teams] everything that they need to know with the tyres for next season, but now we are in mid-May," and with the deadline just over three months away, he added "You can imagine how ludicrous that is when we have not got contracts in place."
Admitting that an exit from the could be possible, Hembery said "Maybe we won't be here."
With big changes coming into force for 2014, the Brit emphasised the need for a swift decision. Whilst he did not want to reveal the firms own internal deadline, time is of the essence and teams need to realise the seriousness of the situation. "I have always said we will never declare an internal deadline but clearly time is already too late, things are getting extremely serious because the changes next year are substantial."
Continuing, he said "The sport has to make a rapid decision because aside from having the fixed resources in the business involved in F1, we need to do a technical job as well. It is not just a case of maybe putting a harder compound into this year's tyres. The changes are so dramatic that we will need to do a thorough re-engineering of the tyre," he warned.
Hembery admitted that a lot of time is needed for them to perfect and create next years rubber, and "the longer this [uncertainty] goes on, it makes our job impossible. There comes a time where we will not have time to do the job any more."
Pirelli will bring updated compounds of their 2013 range to Canada for the seventh round of the season to improve the safety of the tyre, however a contract is needed in the next month so the firm can get to work on 2014 as uncertainty greatly limits the amount of work they can do.
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