Michelin
has been successful in the tender process instigated by the FIA (Fédération
Internationale de l’Automobile) with a view to providing the FIA Formula E
Championship with tyres and associated services. This means that the French
firm will continue to be the championship’s exclusive supplier until the end of
the 2018/2019 season.
Michelin has
served as a Technical Partner to Formula E since the championship’s creation after
distinguishing itself during the FIA’s initial selection process in 2013 – thanks notably to the company’s expertise in the
design and manufacture of energy-efficient, high-performance tyres.
“We
are delighted to have been selected by the FIA once again and to be able to
continue our involvement in this competition which Michelin helped to found,”
says Pascal Couasnon, Director of
Michelin Motorsport. “Formula E is a superb laboratory to foster innovation in
the field of durable mobility in cities and built-up areas and Michelin is
actively exploiting this golden opportunity. Indeed, the tyre we designed for
Formula E - the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV - is revolutionary in the world of
motor racing and has been acclaimed by all the championship’s drivers and
teams.”
The
MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV stands out from conventional racing tyres in at least
three ways. It is the first single-seater car to compete on 18-inch tyres which
favour performance, look smart and permit the rapid carry-over of new
technologies to Michelin road tyres. At the same time, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport
EV boasts unprecedented versatility thanks to its patterned tread which ensures
competitive performance in dry and wet conditions alike. Last but by no means
least, the drivers only need a single set to cover race-day practice and the
race itself.
The
MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV owes its unprecedented qualities to the MICHELIN Total
Performance strategy which prevailed during its design. This approach allows
tyres to pack a broad spectrum of performance-related parameters without having
to make any compromises. To achieve this result, Michelin Motorsport’s
engineers work on all the elements that make up tyres at the same time, i.e.
their casing, the materials they employ and their profile.
“The FIA
stipulated this ability to perform just as well on a wet surface as a dry one in
the tender brief,” notes Serge Grisin,
Manager of Michelin’s Formula E programme. “What started out as an innovative
feature of the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV tyre has gone on to become a
prerequisite demanded by the sport’s ruling body. This is a further sign of
Michelin’s pioneering spirit.”
The Michelin
Group recently presented the new MICHELIN Pilot Sport 4 at the Frankfurt Motor
Show. The tread pattern of this road tyre takes its inspiration from the tyre
designed by Michelin for the FIA Formula E Championship.
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