Formula 1 - Hankook rules out 2014 F1 tyre bid
Hankook has ruled out becoming Formula 1 tyre supplier in 2014 if Pirelli does not agree a new contract.
The South Korean company, which currently supplies tyres in a number of categories including the DTM and the Formula 3 European Championship, is open to a move to grand prix racing in the future.
But the company's DTM competition engineer Michael Eckert has confirmed it is too late to consider such a move next year.
He added that the lack of testing opportunities could also stymie such a move in the long term.
"For 2014, it's completely impossible not only because of the lack of tyre development time," he told AUTOSPORT when asked about the viability of a move into F1 next season.
"Even if Hankook wants to take three, four, five years to jump into Formula 1 as a supplier, the lack of testing opportunities would make it impossible.
"With the current cars and drivers, it's impossible [to test] so you need to find a suitable number of vehicles and drivers that would allow you to get some reliable feedback."
Eckert added that question marks over the long-term tyre regulations would also make it difficult to commit to developing F1 rubber given the lead time required.
"Even if we started this year with the first tyre test, it would take easily three years until you can finish a safe and performing F1 tyre," he said.
"Now the regulations are changing; engine formula, chassis, and aerodynamics... nobody even knows about the dimensions of the tyres for 2014 - they are still not fixed.
"It's not 100 per cent certain they'll continue with 13-inch tyres. It might be 15 or even 17.
"It could happen in the next five years that F1 cars are on 18-inch tyres."