Hankook had ’several meetings’ with Ecclestone

Hankook has been in talks with Bernie Ecclestone about replacing Pirelli as F1’s official tyre supplier.

In April, we reported rumours that the South Korean company was an alternative to Pirelli, who are pushing hard for a new contract but also not ruling out quitting the sport.

But, over the weekend, reports emerged that a Hankook spokesperson had said a F1 foray was now "impossible" for 2014.

However, the Spanish newspaper Diario As correspondent Manuel Franco has revealed that Hankook representatives have in fact met "several times" with F1 chief executive Ecclestone.