F1 News: Former Driver Suggests More Tire Brands In Formula One Could End Red Bull Winning Streak

"I just don’t think there’s a desire right now to have a tire competition, but I think it would be better."

Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard suggested that the addition of more tire manufacturers in the sport could help spice up the game as it would create a natural competitive environment, ultimately offering teams more tires to choose from at different circuits.

Pirelli prevailed over Bridgestone and secured the tender process, becoming Formula 1's exclusive tire supplier until the conclusion of 2027, with an option for a one-year extension.

Having held the exclusive role of supplying tires to the top-tier racing category since 2011, the Italian tire manufacturer maintains a monopoly for at least another four seasons in Formula 1. Despite this, Coulthard supports the idea of introducing more competitors in the sport, believing it could disrupt the existing dynamics by introducing an additional variable.

Speaking on the Formula For Success podcast, the former McLaren and Red Bull driver said:

“Competition improves the breed, competition improves us as human beings, competition improves goods and services, competition improves racing – so there is no doubt in my mind that everything would get a little bit better if there was competition.

“Now, Pirelli have done a fantastic job of delivering what’s been asked of them in terms of where we were with the previous tyres, coming with the bigger tyres, and there you go – they win every Grand Prix.

“It would mean I guess, potentially, that there wouldn’t be quite so much revenue from the advertising that Pirelli have around the track, although I can’t presume that it would be impossible for both tyre manufacturers to advertise in the same way – you’ve got Mercedes Safety Cars, and then you’ve got Aston Martin Safety Cars.

“But I just don’t think there’s a desire right now to have a tyre competition, but I think it would be better.

“And you know, the other thing it would do, sometimes it would be Pirelli that had the right tyre for the circuit and sometimes let’s say for argument’s sake, it was Bridgestone would have the right tyre.

“So you would naturally have this competitive shift circuit to circuit based on the only thing that touches the ground, which is the tyres.”

Nevertheless, co-host Eddie Jordan did not entirely endorse the concept. He disclosed his experience of racing during the tire rivalry between Michelin and Bridgestone in the past, stating that tire brands tended to align with teams with larger budgets. Consequently, he remains uncertain about how the introduction of additional tire brands could enhance competition. He added:

“I was there in this type of era when there were different manufacturers, and the main manufacturer would have been whoever, Michelin, who would go for the Renault team – and they would pick the teams that they thought could win the championship, naturally enough, and they would pay them accordingly, because there would be a very significant budget there.

“And I don’t know how you will get the competition in there without having the freefall of the big money. I just don’t know what’s going to happen.”