Pirelli has issued ultimatum to Formula 1 teams that should they not agree on a 2014 contract for the Italian tire manufacturer, then it will pull out at the end of this season.
Over recent weeks, talks between Pirelli and the teams have broken down, with the tyre firm saying it is running out of time to be able to fully prepare and produce tires for next season; a season which will see a massive technical overhaul in Formula 1.
The company’s motorsport director, Paul Hembrey, told the media on Thursday at Monaco that the situation was becoming ‘extremely serious’, and should the matter not be resolved soon, Pirelli will be unable to make the tyres for next season.
"Apparently on September 1, we are meant to tell them [the teams] everything that they need to know with the tires for next season, but now we are in mid-May," he explained.
"You can imagine how ludicrous that is when we have not got contracts in place.
"Things are getting, as far as we can see, extremely serious because the changes next year are substantial.
"The sport has to take a rapid decision because aside from having the fixed resources in the business involved in F1, there is also a technical job. We need to do a technical job as well.
"It is not just a case of maybe putting a harder compound on to this year's tires - the changes are so dramatic that we will need to do a thorough re-engineering of the tire. That takes time, so the longer is goes on it makes our job impossible.
"There comes a time where we will not have time to do the job any more. Maybe we won't be here…"
It is rumoured that should Pirelli withdraw from the sport, South Korean tire firm Hankook, the DTM’s tire supplier since 2011, is set to replace them.
Over recent weeks, talks between Pirelli and the teams have broken down, with the tyre firm saying it is running out of time to be able to fully prepare and produce tires for next season; a season which will see a massive technical overhaul in Formula 1.
The company’s motorsport director, Paul Hembrey, told the media on Thursday at Monaco that the situation was becoming ‘extremely serious’, and should the matter not be resolved soon, Pirelli will be unable to make the tyres for next season.
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| Bernie Ecclestone and Paul Hembery. (Photo: Pirelli) |
"Apparently on September 1, we are meant to tell them [the teams] everything that they need to know with the tires for next season, but now we are in mid-May," he explained.
"You can imagine how ludicrous that is when we have not got contracts in place.
"Things are getting, as far as we can see, extremely serious because the changes next year are substantial.
"The sport has to take a rapid decision because aside from having the fixed resources in the business involved in F1, there is also a technical job. We need to do a technical job as well.
"It is not just a case of maybe putting a harder compound on to this year's tires - the changes are so dramatic that we will need to do a thorough re-engineering of the tire. That takes time, so the longer is goes on it makes our job impossible.
"There comes a time where we will not have time to do the job any more. Maybe we won't be here…"
It is rumoured that should Pirelli withdraw from the sport, South Korean tire firm Hankook, the DTM’s tire supplier since 2011, is set to replace them.