Goodyear Scraps Plan to Debut ‘Medium-Plus’ Tire in Bahrain

Goodyear has opted against debuting a new harder compound tire, dubbed the ‘Medium-Plus’, at the final round of the FIA World Endurance Championship in Bahrain.

The sole tire supplier to the LMGT3 class opted to use a sole compound, the Medium, for the first half of the 2024 campaign, while also developing a harder tire due for an introduction at some point during the second half of the season.

Bahrain had been set as the target race for the ‘Medium-Plus’ to be used for the first time owing to the track’s abrasive nature and layout that induces high sliding energy.

As the name suggests, the ‘Medium-Plus’ is intended to be only slighter harder than the existing Medium and not hard enough to warrant the ‘Hard’ moniker.

However, a Goodyear spokesperson has confirmed to Sportscar365 that the new product will not be making its debut at Bahrain as planned and that the Medium will be used as the single nominated spec, as per all seven WEC races so far this season.

Further details on the brand’s 2025 tire compound plans will be communicated later.

Manthey EMA Porsche driver Richard Lietz told Sportscar365 at last month’s 6 Hours of Fuji that he had been involved in developing the ‘Medium-Plus’, but said he couldn’t see a need for the Medium to be replaced based on its performance so far this year.

“I have been part of Goodyear’s development and I tested a compound that I think they are considering as a second option,” said Lietz.

“So far, I don’t understand why because this [Medium] compound has performed well at almost every track. Only in Sao Paulo we had to take a bit more care.

“It has worked well in hot temperatures, cold temperatures. So I don’t 100 percent understand the need for a new option. I would be surprised if they brought it for Bahrain, because it’s a track where you don’t want such a hard tire.

“If they bring two options, this is more real motorsport, and you can play around, which is something I like. But if it’s going to be the same for everyone, we can save some resources and just keep this tire, because it’s working well everywhere.”

The Goodyear spokesperson explained that the brand’s policy of not bringing multiple compounds to each track stems largely from environmental concerns and a desire to cut down on wastage if one compound is not widely used.

Hypercar tire supplier Michelin meanwhile has brought two different tire compounds from its range of three – Soft, Medium and Hard – to each regular WEC race so far this year, with all three options made available for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The softest option has not been seen since Le Mans however, with the Medium and the Hard being selected for Sao Paulo, the Circuit of The Americas and Fuji.