Hankook will not (yet) be in F1

Despite the fact that Hankook from South Korea already supplies tires to many series such as the DTM and the European Formula 3 series, it does not intend to enter Formula One for the time being. Of course, Michael Eckert, an engineer in the DTM series, points out that it is too late to enter next season, but Hankook, on the other hand, is also very open about the future of racing and does not want to say formula one: “It is too late and impossible for 2014. . Entering in four or five years would also be difficult, as Hankook is also very limited in testing. "

So, as Eckert says, it is necessary to find a car with which to test the tires and, of course, the racer, as the current ones are not allowed to do so because of the rules: and tire performance. On the other hand, we are also at the turn of the rules, which will change dramatically for the coming season. Namely, no one even knows what the dimensions of the tires for 2014 will be, nor do they know for sure whether they will continue with 13-inch tires, or maybe switch to 15 or even 17. In the coming years, they could see 1-inch tires on F18 cars, but for once, everything is still open. "

In any case, it is worth mentioning that Hankook intends to expand to other moto sports championships, as after the Superstart series, Auto GP also started equipping the DTM and the European F3 series, but this is not the end, according to Eckert: " F1 is not necessarily the highlight. Of course, from an engineering point of view, F1 is the biggest challenge, but from a financial point of view, it is also a large investment that needs to be justified. It is necessary to be prepared in all areas, not only in tires, but also in factory infrastructure and logistics. At the moment, the production of Hankook tires is only in Korea, maybe we could use a base in Europe, such as Pirelli in Turkey. So at the moment we are not ready for Formula One, but we will work intensively to expand into new markets. "