Maritimer wrote: ↑09 Aug 2019, 19:30
Tire wars are never going to happen in major series any more, nobody wants to pay for one and eventually all teams just switch to the better supplier.
What is cheaper for an F1 team: conforming to a spec tire? Or contracting a custom tire?
Think of them like brake discs. Teams are free to contract custom brake discs from suppliers. Has this resulted in a brake disc war? Who cares? Why call them wars? It obfuscates the issue. Currently there is also a 'developing-around-the-spec-tires war,' which probably costs as much as custom tires. There is an 'engine-war.' There is an aero war. A chassis war. A fuel war. A t-wing war. A brake duct war. On and on.
Teams have budgets. They try to expand them. They spend what they can regardless of what items are spec and regardless of what limits are placed upon specific types of R&D. Even if spec tyres are cheaper the money saved goes to other parts of the car. To some other battlefront in these little not-wars.