Pirelli Doesn’t Want to Be F1’s Main Character, and That’s How It Should Be

The first Formula 1 race I ever watched on TV was, believe it or not, the 2005 United States Grand Prix. I was 12. And to a normal person, rather than a precocious preteen, a farce like that wouldn't turn anyone into a fan. Yet, for some, strange reason, the drama, the politics, and the fallout resulting from both hooked me. I suppose that's why some people get into WWE.

Many have said and will continue to say that F1 is far too obsessed with its status as a «show» in 2024, but when I consider the worst-case scenario of the tire war that we observed in Indianapolis nearly 20 years ago—the race that put F1's U.S. conquest on ice for at least five years—I don't think it's controversial to suggest that in at least one respect, the sport has improved. And plenty of that thanks goes to Pirelli.

Pirelli's been F1's sole tire supplier since 2011; in that span, it's seen three monumental rule changes, the biggest coming just two years ago with the step up to 18-inch tires and ground-effects aero. Yet another is due for 2026. The Italian tire maker representing the only game in the paddock might suggest to some that it doesn't really need to work to keep its much-vaunted spot. We've learned that competition breeds innovation; monopolies, not so much. However, Pirelli's still got plenty of work to do—it's just different than the work it might otherwise be doing if it was in a constant battle to one-up, let's say, a French or Japanese rival.

«Being the sole supplier, we need to guarantee the sporting equity,» Mario Isola, Pirelli's director of motorsport, told The Drive during an interview in the paddock of the Miami Grand Prix. «We have telemetry data coming from all the teams that we analyze during the weekend. We have a laboratory in the fitting area where we cut the tires, we analyze the tires with a microscope and some other equipment to check that the integrity of the tire is guaranteed.»

Isola mentioned that this was how Pirelli discovered the risk of failure during the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix and was able to act swiftly, notifying the FIA and all the teams so that the weekend could continue, albeit with a maximum tire life stipulation of 18 laps, effectively making