Pirelli could be set to begin supplying special ‘qualifying tyres’ to Formula One teams from next year.

The news comes in the wake of criticism of this seasons tyres, which seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher has likened to driving on ‘raw eggs’.

With the emphasis of the sport’s spectacle now relying on the complex and heavily degrading control tyres, it was the qualifying session that suffered last weekend in Barcelona.

The teams took an exceedingly strategic view of the fight for pole position during qualifying, with some drivers sitting out the decisive ‘Q3′ runout altogether.

One solution, according to Pirelli’s chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera, is the return of ‘qualifying tyres’.

Tronchetti defended his marque’s approach in an interview with Italian radio Rai GR Parlamento.

He said: “What we have is many competitive cars, which is what the teams wanted - opportunity for everyone who is able to win.

“So it’s fine if someone complains. We are available to the teams. We are ready to make qualifying tyres tomorrow.

“But they are choices that are not ours.”

The dangers of part worn tyres were highlighted at an industry briefing organised by TyreSafe, the UK’s leading tyre safety group.

More than 170 delegates attended the event, which was open to anyone with an interest in tyre and road safety and attracted organisations including tyre retailers and manufacturers, car makers, insurers, fleet providers, emergency services and trading standards.

According to TyreSafe, the key to the event’s success was that it did not shy away from tackling topical and relevant subject matters, particularly those of part worn tyres.

Attendees also heard a fascinating case study from Chandlers BMW and Sussex Police as to how they worked together in last year’s Tyre Safety Month.

It showed that with minimal expenditure and some creative thinking that great results in terms of public interaction and media coverage can be achieved – improving road safety at a local level very effectively and cost efficiently.

For the latest test, the popular motoring magazine assessed 10 different tyres on aquaplaning, cabin noise and economy.

The Pirelli P Zero, a former winner in this size, was named one of the top three with Auto Express stating: “It makes its way into our top three thanks to an excellent performance in the wet tests, comfortably winning the braking and handling disciplines and finishing in the top four in the other categories.”

Dominic Sandivasci, Pirelli UK managing director, added: “We are delighted with the results from the recent Auto Express tyre test.

“As a company, Pirelli takes pride in being known as the world’s leading premium tyre manufacturer, and the P Zero family is a product that is consistently at the cutting edge of technology.

“With the launch of new and specialised lines such as the P Zero Silver earlier this year, we are confident that we have a product that delivers highly in both performance and durability.”

Pirelli’s P Zero range was launched in 1987 and has developed into one of the industry’s best-known high performance products. The tyres profile has been raised even higher with its entry into the glamorous world of Formula One.

When its not tearing round a track however, the P Zero is suitable for vehicles ranging from the most prestigious and powerful GTs, right through to mid-range vehicles.

Denna Bowman, Head Office

The tyres manufacturer organised for the convoy to take over three lanes of the M6 in honour of the UK’s largest and most complicated intersection.

Dunlop’s racing tyres are manufactured at the Fort Dunlop facility in Birmingham, and the company estimates that it has shipped more than 10-million tyres across the juntion since it was first opened in 1972.

The ten-truck convoy converged simultaneously on many of the different intertwined roads of the junction for an aerial photograph. The trucks then paraded through the city on the old Birmingham Superprix circuit, which made some of city streets famous for motor racing.

James Bailey, Director of Marketing and Communications for Dunlop Motorsport Europe, said: “We are very proud of our long association with Birmingham and that we not only design, develop and manufacture tyres here, but also provide many of the support teams for race championships across Europe and the world.

“The Dunlop Motorsport trucks are not just delivery vehicles. Once they are in the paddock at a race track, the sides open up, awnings are fitted and they are transformed into the ‘Dunlop Village’ - a tyre fitting centre from where the engineers will look after the tyre needs of racing teams before and during practice and racing. There are more than 20 vehicles servicing over 200 events around the world every year.

“As well as celebrating 40 years of being neighbours with the iconic Spaghetti Junction we also wanted to acknowledge the anniversary of motor racing on the streets of Birmingham. Although racing didn’t happen on Birmingham’s Superprix Circuit until the 1980s, permission for it to happen was first given 40 years ago, so it is appropriate to reflect on the city’s racing heritage.

“The Superprix was a great showcase for Birmingham and with around forty thousand people employed in the UK motorsport industry, maybe the time is right to highlight this contribution to the local and national economy with a return of racing to Birmingham’s streets.”

Denna Bowman, Head Office

Tyres strategy played a key role in the Spanish Grand Prix yesterday - which saw the fifth different winner in as many races, in five cars.

Wiliams driver Pastor Maldonado started e race on the soft tyres and then used three sets of hard tyres, the same strategy adpted by Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who finished second.

They key was in the timing of the changes for Maldonado.

McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton also put in an exceptional performance, finishing eighth after starting last on the grid, after his original pole position time was cancelled for a rules infringement.  during the first stint he had managed to move up to fourth.

Paul Hembery, Pirelli’s Motorsport director, said: “with Pastor Maldonado starting from the front and Lewis Hamilton starting from the back, this was always going to be a fascinating race, and thanks to the tyre strategy as well, it certainly delivered.

“Maldonado and Williams were quick right from free practice on Friday having consistently got the most out of both tyre compounds all weekend.

“The final 10 laps were a fantastic duel between him and Alonso, wi less than a second separating them, on similar strategies.

“Boe drivers showed their thyroid management skills perfectly, managing to avoid falling off “the cliff” despite pushing hard for the race win.

“The tyres contributed to an extremely entertaining and tense race, but as official supplier we will always follow the wishes of the teams and the promoter and our future development direction will be dictated by what they want.

“For the sport, we believe that it’s fantastic to have five races, five winners and five cars - especially when it is as well deserved as the victory that we saw from Pastor and Williams today.”

Continental has bagged a coveted award for ‘Best Winter Tyre’ from one of the UK’s leading motoring magazines.

Auto Express singled out the ContiWinterContact TS830P tyres for the top spot in its 2012 Product awards.

The accolade comes as a direct result of Continental’s win in the 2011 Auto Express winter tyre test. In its second year, Auto Express tested the best of the best in the winter tyre market, revealing the top performers for the winter season from a series of stringent tests made in Northern Sweden.

Auto Express commented on the TS830P: “Consistently good performances earn Continental our winter tyre crown. Great all round performance with no weaknesses, sees off winter rivals and takes the win.”

Peter Robb, brand manager at Continental, added: “This additional win for the ContiWinterContact TS830P is an excellent endorsement for our product range and comes at a time of growing awareness of the need for winter tyres within the UK market.”

With one in every three cars in Europe now fitted with Continental tyres, the ContiWinterContact TS830P is a popular choice for drivers who want the highest levels of winter safety without compromising performance.

To drive home the point, the paper delved back to an article in What Car which pitted three premium tyres costing up to £70, against three budget alternatives at around half the cost in a series of braking tests back in 2010.

According to the Mirror: “The results were shocking, showing in the wet, the budget tyres took an average of 14 metres longer than the premium tyres to stop from 70mph.”

It also reported that the magazine warned: “Don’t even think about skimping on tyres.

“It’s tempting to save money in the short term by going for the budget option, but you’d be unwise to do so.

“Tyres are the only part of your car that make contact with the road, so you’re far better off sticking to the premium brands and hunting around for the lowest prices on those.

“As our investigation clearly shows, cheap tyres could easily cost you your life.”

Goodyear has scooped the 2012 Auto Express award for the Best Summer Tyre.

The Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 tyres received the accolade from one of the UK’s leading motoring magazines.

Auto Express reviewers praised the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2’s “great all round performance, summing is up simply as “safe and secure.”

It also complements the tyres impressive list of original equipment fitments including exclusive high performance vehicles such as the Mercedes-Benz CLS, Audi A4 and Porsche 911 Carrera 2.

Michelle Fisher, Goodyear UK brand manager said: “Our Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 tyre continues to prove its worth as an increasing number of independent experts discover its strengths, on both wet and dry road surfaces.

“It is a clear recognition that the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 is being seen as one of the best tyres on the market today, and being named as the ‘Best Tyre’ by such an influential automotive magazine really adds credibility to our message.”

The Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 2 was named as a “commended” product in the winter tyre category.

Warm weather will add to the challenges Pirelli’s controversial Formula One tyres will face at the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend.

The race on the Circuit de Catalunya just outside Barcelona will present the teams with a number of strategic options.

Paul Hembery, Pirelli’s motorsport director, said: “The race should present something of a contrast to the last pre-season test in Barcelona, where low ambient temperatures meant that it was difficult to get heat into the tyres!

“This time we’re expecting warmer weather, which only adds to the many challenges that the tyres will face.

“We’ve nominated the soft and hard tyre in order to highlight performance differences that will create a different challenge for the teams, showcasing both the speed and durability of our products.

“There is a whole step in between our two nominations for the first time this year and this should allow the teams to come up with a number of different tyre strategies that could make a big difference to the final outcome.

“With many teams having expanded their knowledge of our tyre range and tested new components at Mugello, we’re expecting a closely-fought Spanish Grand Prix - and maybe even the fifth different winner in five races.”

Whitmarsh believes the tyres have improved the spectacle of the sport and disputes Michael Schumacher’s complaints that they are like driving on ‘raw eggs’.

The Mercedes driver moaned after the Bahrain race: “I just think that they’re playing a much too big effect because they are so peaky and so special that they don’t put our cars or ourselves to the limit.

“We drive like on raw eggs and I don’t want to stress the tires at all. Otherwise you just overdo it and you go nowhere.”

However, Whitmarsh, whose team is no stranger to problems dealing with the Pirelli rubber, argued that the criticism is wrong and that it requires skill to get the most out of the tyres.

He countered: “There’s no doubt the tyres are a definite challenge within Formula One and they have added to the spectacle.

“There’s also no doubt when a driver has had a bad race he will complain about them.

“But if they made tyres that were very robust and not challenging in terms of management from either the team or driver’s perspective then I’m sure the spectators will be critical of the tyres as they won’t create the right spectacle.

“In summary, they are challenging and there have been times when they have certainly given up.

“The last race in Bahrain was certainly one of those times, where we weren’t in the right window of operation and that affected our performance in the race quite dramatically.

“But I think it would be wrong to criticise the tyre. I think you’ve got to look at you as a team and what the drivers are doing and look at how to manage the situation.”