(Motorsport-Total.com) – Will manufacturer Pirelli remain the tire supplier for Formula 1 beyond 2028? The Italians, whose contract was recently extended through a clause, are quite open to this topic. The tenor: If Formula 1 and the FIA want it, they could definitely imagine continuing.
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“We are a global partner and above all a technological partner. So if the FIA and Formula 1 express interest in continuing the partnership with Pirelli, we would certainly discuss it in due course,” emphasizes Pirelli’s motorsport chief Dario Marrafuschi to Motorsport.com Italy, a sister platform of Motorsport-Total.com in the Motorsport Network.
But: At the moment it is still “way too early” to decide how Pirelli wants to shape the future beyond 2028.
Just a month ago, the automobile world federation FIA activated a clause in the contract with the manufacturer, extending the cooperation by another year. In the contract originally signed in 2023, Pirelli had committed to Formula 1 for the 2025 to 2027 seasons – with an option for an extension.
The fact that the FIA has expressed trust in the Italians is well received by Pirelli: “This one-year extension is undoubtedly proof of our continuous commitment and the reputation we have built up over all these years,” emphasizes Marrafuschi and sees his company as a “fixed entity” in the premier class.
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“Formula 1 is a highly technological environment dominated by innovation, but it is about more than that. It is also about the trust we build with all stakeholders and partners, especially with Formula 1 management, the FIA, and all the teams we supply tires to and advise technically at race weekends,” he says.
“All of this makes us extremely proud of the work we have done.”
Pirelli has been the sole tire supplier for Formula 1 since 2011 and had prevailed against competitor Bridgestone in the last tender in 2023, who had sought a return to the championship.
At that time, however, Pirelli made it clear that the new contract period would be the last, as there was hardly anything left to achieve in Formula 1 to further strengthen the brand. Apparently, the last word has not yet been spoken …
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