Pirelli are providing the tyres this year, but should there be more than one manufacturer of tyres in F1? Is it simply not practical anymore to do this?
I've always thought that Pirelli, Bridgestone and Michelin should all do tyres for F1 but its up to the driver/team to decide which company to pick.
Pirelli have stated that they would actually welcome competition...but only once they've got a bit of a headstart on the oppo, ie a couple years worth of experience so as not to embarrass themselves. Expect Pirelli to encourage other manufacturers to compete with them in 2013/2014 season.
Bridgestone would completely destroy Pirelli. If Bridgestone were still here no one would opt for Pirellis and Pirelli wouldn't bother making them anyway.
Its highly unlikley Birdgestone would re-enter the sport. THey did so originally to increase their profile and image, especially among their European markets. They've achieved this aim and therefore felt F1 had served its purpose for them. More likely would be the return of Michelin who have stated they wish to be in F1 to compete with other brands (presumably they feel they'd beat the competition and therefore appear better than their rivals). Is also worth noting that Pirelli are currently developing their compounds to provide the best spectacle rather than outright performance - why worry about the latter when there is no one to compete against? Its known they are deliberately looking to provide more grippy soft compounds that will degrade more quickly to ensure races contain more pitstops. All in an effort to 'spice up the show'. Clearly, their priorities in they type of tyre they're delivering to F1 are different from their predecessor.
