Force India want teams to pick their own tyres for F1 races

Force India's COO Otmar Szafnauer has called on rule makers and Pirelli to allow teams to select whatever compounds they want for each grand prix weekend, as opposed to being limited to the mandatory two out of four options set for each race.

Szafnauer told Sky that leaving the teams to choose would be better for the sport, “What it would do is it would mix up the strategy. So perhaps somebody that might want to be on pole position and take a gamble at the race, but know that getting that pole position might mean that the tyre they set that pole position time on will degrade quicker so they may have to stop more often."

“So I think you gamble a little and perhaps favour qualifying over the race or vice versa. It will just mix it up,” he predicted.

Pirelli have raised safety concerns, but Force India’s deputy team principal Bob Fernley scoffed at the reasoning given by tF1's sole tyre supplier, “I think it is absolute nonsense, I think the teams have phenomenal expertise in tyre management and control, probably as good and in some cases maybe even better than Pirelli, so we certainly would never compromise safety.”

“I think if someone wants to take a decision on a qualifying position it would compromise, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it is going to compromise safety anywhere. I think Otmar suggestion has great merit, is well worth looking at and I think it would give a more random effect and make the teams work a bit harder,” added Fernley.