No tyre war unless rules change - Hembery

Paul Hembery has played down reports Pirelli might have to go wheel-to-wheel with Michelin in formula one next year.

There are rumours the apparently Jean Todt-supported French marque Michelin, last on the grid as the Bridgestone tyre war ended in 2006, is planning a F1-related announcement for the middle of this week.

Michelin is believed to favour a competitive situation for a return to F1, while Pirelli is more content with the current one-supplier rules designed to keep costs down.

Asked if the Michelin reports have him worried, Pirelli’s motor sport director Hembery replied: "We have a contract with the teams, but the rules do not allow competition between tyre manufacturers.

"We are doing our job," he told f1news.ru, as Pirelli pushes for a new multi-year contract to be the sport’s sole supplier of tyres beyond 2013.

Hembery concluded: "If the rules change, we will be told about it."