Michelin extends Formula E supply deal to 2020/21
Michelin will continue to be Formula E’s sole tyre supplier until at least the end of the 2020/21 season, after extending its deal by two years.
Michelin truck
Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
The French tyre manufacturer has been the all-electric category’s supplier since the inaugural season, and its most recent deal was due to expire at the end of the 2018/19 campaign.
Its extension was announced on Friday ahead of this weekend’s 2017/18 season opener in Hong Kong.
“Michelin was our first founding partner – it was fantastic for us, it was a very risky move for them,” said Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag.
“It was really a pioneer in that sense, and since then they have been an incredibly loyal partner.”
Michelin's Formula E tyre is designed to be use in both wet and dry conditions, although the series has not experienced a rain-hit race in its three seasons.
It introduced a ‘version two’ of its tyre for the 2016/17 season, which was more than 1kg lighter – saving almost 5kg on a car that has a high base weight – and aided efficiency because it boasted improved rolling resistance.
Pascal Couasnon, Michelin motorsport director, claimed that added up to “one more lap” of running over a race.
He also said Michelin would bring further improvements for 2018/19, when the series will ditch mid-race car swaps and the tyres will need to complete a full distance.
“For us it makes sense because we did almost the most difficult thing, supporting a series that was brand new at a time not many people were believing in it,” Couasnon told Motorsport.com.
“We thought it would make sense to bear the fruits of the cooperation.
“We’ve learned quite a lot, we have plenty of ideas we want to test and two more years won’t be too much to continue to show what we can do.”
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