Formula 1 has a big opportunity to deliver a more exciting show next year thanks to the arrival of new tire supplier Pirelli, according to Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner, who hopes that Pirelli can produce the kind of rubber that helped turn the Canadian Grand Prix into a thriller.
He reckons that the Italian tire manufacturer should look carefully at what happened in Montreal, and also in the wet Chinese GP, to understand how certain compound characteristics can help deliver a better spectacle.
"Choosing the right kind of tires is something that needs to be carefully looked at," said Horner in Valencia.
"We are taking away the double diffusers [for 2011], which is right because the downforce levels of the car are way beyond what was initially envisaged. But that was probably the mistake in allowing the double diffuser in the first place.
"I think that there is real opportunity with the tire supplier to potentially do something a bit different that could encourage more races like Montreal, which I think was a fascinating race."
He added: "As we saw in Montreal, tires are a far bigger factor than aerodynamics. We also saw that in China on the intermediate tire, that a tire that is slightly marginal on performance allows the cars to follow closely – and we had more overtaking in those two races than the rest of the year."
Horner says the early impression from Pirelli is that the Italian company is eager to do what it can to please the teams – which he thinks bodes well for F1.
"It is fantastic news that Pirelli is becoming the F1 tire supplier," he said. "It is a quality company and it is a great brand to have in F1. And, I think most importantly, they are not changing or haven't dictated that the regulations be changed, so they will supply under very similar terms to what we currently enjoy.
"Bridgestone has done a great job over the past few years, but Pirelli is great news for F1, and it will be very interesting to work with them."