MAY 12, 2013

Teams beginning to sign 2014 Pirelli tyre deals

Still unsure it will be retained as F1's official supplier, Pirelli has begun to sign supply contracts with teams for the 2014 season.

Still unsure it will be retained as F1's official supplier, Pirelli has begun to sign supply contracts with teams for the 2014 season.

That is the claim of the specialist German website motorsport-total.com, reporting that Ferrari, and Red Bull's two teams, have already signed deals with the Italian supplier.

Mercedes is also believed to have signed, but for the moment insiders at the German squad are quiet.

"We have had initial talks with a few teams," Pirelli's motor sport director Paul Hembery said.

The report said Pirelli wants to charge each team EUR 1.2 million per season for the tyre deal, but some teams are arguing that a discount is in order due to the huge sponsorship exposure enjoyed by the Italian marque in F1.

(GMM)