First of all, I agree that a tire war on Formua One will add an entertainment factor to the sport, as it is another external factor that can liven up racing. However, I think a tire war in Formula One is not the way to go. With Pirelli’s contract expiring at the end of this season, some team owners feel that bringing a tire war would be good for Formula One. However, the FIA was quick to reject these proposed ideas saying they did not want a tire war. tires in Formula One.
I personally think this is correct. This is because a tire is an external factor. They are not made by teams, which means that if one tire is better on the grid than the other; that all cars that are on that tire will essentially have an unfair advantage. So I think this will undermine the efforts of the engineers on the teams that are on the tire that is on the losing side of the war. Formula One has had tire wars before. The most recent was from 2001 and 2005, which was contested between Bridgestone and Michelin. Ferrari with the Bridgestone tire, while its main rivals with the Michelin tire and Ferrari escaped with the constructors ‘and drivers’ championships. However, I think Ferrari would still have been as strong in those years anyway, but the thing is, they would have been as competitive as they were with Bridgestone tires.
Another aspect that may lose importance are the pit stops. This is because these tire manufacturers will try to compete with each other for durability. If some of you remember the Firestone tires they could have made it through the entire race without the need for the pit stops. Pit stops have become a crucial part of the championships for the past two seasons.
This has been evident in the last two races with teams breaking pit stop records and Red Bull currently has it at 2.05 seconds. However, with a tire war, pit stops can become less important as there may only be one pit stop at a Grand Prix, so all the hard work that teams have put into perfecting their regimen pit stops.
So to summarize. I think a tire war will slightly reduce the entertainment value at the moment, as the tires are providing a very good element of strategy so far this season. On the other hand, the element of strategy will be lost if Formula One enters a tire war again.