Dubai, United Arab Emirates - October 06, 2015

Michelin has been successful in the tender process instigated by the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) with a view to providing the FIA Formula E Championship with tyres and associated services. This means that the French firm will continue to be the championship's exclusive supplier until the end of the 2018/2019 season.

Michelin has served as a Technical Partner to Formula E since the championship's creation after distinguishing itself during the FIA's initial selection process in 2013 - thanks notably to the company's expertise in the design and manufacture of energy-efficient, high-performance tyres.

"We are delighted to have been selected by the FIA once again and to be able to continue our involvement in this competition which Michelin helped to found," says Pascal Couasnon, Director of Michelin Motorsport. "Formula E is a superb laboratory to foster innovation in the field of durable mobility in cities and built-up areas and Michelin is actively exploiting this golden opportunity. Indeed, the tyre we designed for Formula E - the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV - is revolutionary in the world of motor racing and has been acclaimed by all the championship's drivers and teams."

The MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV stands out from conventional racing tyres in at least three ways. It is the first single-seater car to compete on 18-inch tyres which favour performance, look smart and permit the rapid carry-over of new technologies to Michelin road tyres. At the same time, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV boasts unprecedented versatility thanks to its patterned tread which ensures competitive performance in dry and wet conditions alike. Last but by no means least, the drivers only need a single set to cover race-day practice and the race itself.

The MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV owes its unprecedented qualities to the MICHELIN Total Performance strategy which prevailed during its design. This approach allows tyres to pack a broad spectrum of performance-related parameters without having to make any compromises. To achieve this result, Michelin Motorsport's engineers work on all the elements that make up tyres at the same time, i.e. their casing, the materials they employ and their profile.

"The FIA stipulated this ability to perform just as well on a wet surface as a dry one in the tender brief," notes Serge Grisin, Manager of Michelin's Formula E programme. "What started out as an innovative feature of the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV tyre has gone on to become a prerequisite demanded by the sport's ruling body. This is a further sign of Michelin's pioneering spirit."

The Michelin Group recently presented the new MICHELIN Pilot Sport 4 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The tread pattern of this road tyre takes its inspiration from the tyre designed by Michelin for the FIA Formula E Championship.

-Ends-

About MICHELIN
Michelin, the leading tyre company, is dedicated to sustainably improving the mobility of goods and people by manufacturing, distributing and marketing tyres for every type of vehicle. It also offers innovative business support services, digital mobility services and publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant guides, maps and road atlases. Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin is present in 170 countries, has 112,300 employees and operates 68 production plants in 17 countries. The Group also has a Technology Center, responsible for research and development, with operations in Europe, North America and Asia. (www.michelin.com).

Michelin's regional headquarters for Africa, India and the Middle East (AIM) is based in Dubai, UAE. In addition, it has 4 commercial agencies based in India, South Africa, Cameroon and Nigeria, and operates in other countries of the region as well.

You can connect with Michelin on www.facebook.com/MichelinArabia   

For further information, please contact:
Sahithya Shetty
Edelman DABO
E-mail: Sahithya.Shetty@edelmandabo.com
Direct: 04 237 8084
Mobile: +971 56 175 7431

Majid Al Mahmoudi
External Communication Manager
Michelin Africa, India & the Middle East
E: majid.al-mahmoudi@ae.michelin.com
M : +971 56 175 7431

© Press Release 2015