Horner: Look beyond the money for tyres

Although Christian Horner concedes money will play a role in deciding F1's new tyre supplier, he has urged those in charge to consider the show.

Current supplier Pirelli are up against Michelin to see who becomes F1's sole tyre supplier from 2017 onwards.

According to reports, both tenders have met the approval of the FIA so it is now in the hands of Bernie Ecclestone as to which tyres the drivers race.

Michelin have said want 18 inch rims and one-stop races while Pirelli have stated they will do whatever the teams want.

And Horner, who was full of praise for Pirelli, reckons it is how the tyres will impact the racing that should be foremost when deciding, rather than considering the financial side.

"I think what we're basically saying is that whoever pays the most cash will sit here and say we love and think they should be the right supplier for Formula One. But I think it does go a bit beyond that," the Red Bull team boss explained.

"An 18 inch rim and a one stop is going to do nothing for the spectacle of a grand prix and I think actually we need to be looking at doing the opposite: getting two- to three-stop races, controlled degradation, maybe more choice for the teams in terms of the tyres that they can take to grands prix, all the things that we're talking about.

"I think Pirelli have done a good job since they've been involved in the sport, they've been supportive of Formula One through hard times as well as the good times.

"And hopefully with the cars that are coming for 2017, that are going to be quite a bit different, quite a bit quicker, with tyres that are significantly different to what we have now as well, then that represents a great challenge and hopefully Pirelli will be successful with that."