Bridgestone

Formula 1 Team reports for the 2009 F1 season includes race previews, reports and reviews
Ed
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Post by Ed » Thu Jun 18, 2009 12:14 am

Bridgestone Motorsport British Grand Prix Preview

Bridgestone will take its hard and soft compounds to the Silverstone race circuit for round eight of the FIA Formula One World Championship, the British Grand Prix on June 19-21, the last scheduled Grand Prix at this track.

This race is something of a homecoming for Bridgestone Motorsport as their British base is located just 70 miles away in Langley, near Heathrow airport. This means it will be a busy weekend for the Japanese tyre company, with guests and family amidst the crowds to see Bridgestone’s elite force of tyre technicians and engineers hard at work supplying tyres to all the teams in F1.

Competitors face the challenge of a predominantly high speed circuit, with a low speed section before the start-finish straight. The high speeds and also the abrasive nature of the track surface mean that tyres are worked hard over the weekend.

Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, said:
“Silverstone is a destination that we know well and it is one where there have been many interesting races over the years. Bridgestone Motorsport has its European base in Britain, so Silverstone is like a home race for us. One of our aims when we entered Formula One as a tyre supplier was to increase brand awareness and Bridgestone in the UK has worked hard to capitalise on our Formula One programme. This is one of our key European markets and so we hope everyone enjoys some thrilling racing this weekend.”

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What are the challenges of Silverstone?
“The low speed section of the track, before the start-finish straight, is a breeding ground for graining so we expect to see quite a lot of this here, especially at the beginning of the weekend. The majority of a lap at Silverstone is very fast so cars require good fast corner stability and the tyres need good heat and wear resistance. The last sector is lower speed so a good set-up has to work well here as well as in the high speed sections.”
Are there particular weather considerations for Silverstone?
“Last year’s race was wet and we have often seen changeable weather here so it could be interesting. Silverstone has an abrasive track surface and it does dry quite quickly from being wet. We have not used our new intermediate compound in a wet race yet. It is a soft compound but we are confident it will work well, even at an abrasive circuit like Silverstone.”

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Post by Ed » Sat Jun 20, 2009 6:37 am

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Friday Update

Bridgestone’s hard tyre proved to be the fastest rubber on the harsh surface of the Silverstone circuit for the first day of the British Grand Prix. In cloudy and windy conditions, Sebastian Vettel set the day’s fastest lap time, a 1min 19.400secs, in his Red Bull Racing car during the morning practice session.
Vettel was also the fastest driver in the afternoon practice session, also using the hard Bridgestone to set a time of 1min 19.456secs. Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) was second fastest in both sessions today.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today was a little strange. It was very windy, which affects the cars differently depending on the wind direction and can make it difficult to get the best set-up to make the best use of our tyres. In the morning we saw some graining on the hard front Bridgestones, which were the only tyres used in this session. In the afternoon, the track temperature was warmer and both compounds were used. We did not see the expected amount of graining with the soft tyre, meaning that it worked well, and also there was no graining on the hard. There were not the usual improvements in lap time through this session, and we believe that the wind and fuel levels may have made a difference here.”

How do you expect this allocation to work over the weekend?
“The British weather will play a big part in answering this question. Not only did we have relatively high winds at the circuit today, it was also colder than we see at most grands prix. At today’s temperatures, the soft Bridgestone could well be the better qualifying and race tyre for most people, however if the temperatures are warmer the hard Bridgestone could look like a more attractive race tyre.”

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Post by Ed » Sun Jun 21, 2009 1:42 am

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Saturday Update

Bridgestone’s soft tyre provided the grip for Red Bull Racing driver Sebastian Vettel to qualify on his third pole position of the season for tomorrow’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Vettel set a time of 1min 19.509secs, just over three tenths faster than Brawn GP Formula 1 Team driver Rubens Barrichello. Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) went third fastest.

Bridgestone’s new intermediate tyre was used for the first time in a grand prix session today when it was used by a number of competitors during the morning practice session. AT&T Williams driver Nico Rosberg used the soft Bridgestone to go fastest in this session with a time of 1min 18.899secs.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today we saw the full weather range of Bridgestone’s Formula One tyres used in front of a very big Saturday crowd at Silverstone. Although the track was only damp at the beginning of the first session, the intermediate and wet tyre were used, as well as both dry Bridgestones. This was good preparation for any weather tomorrow. In qualifying we saw some very fast lap times, with Sebastian Vettel setting the day’s fastest time using the hard tyre in Q2 and also setting pole with the soft tyre. Silverstone is a high speed circuit which the current generation cars and our slick tyres are suiting very well.”

What are the tyre strategy considerations for tomorrow’s race?
“First and foremost the weather will be a very big factor here, just as we have seen so many times at Silverstone. If it is wet like last year there will be the difficult decisions of whether to use the intermediate or wet Bridgestone, or decide if it is dry enough to use the hard or soft dry tyre. If there is no rain and the temperature is cool then the hard tyre is taking around 3-4 laps to get up to speed, so the soft tyre could be the favoured starting tyre. There is good potential for an exciting race tomorrow.”

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Post by Ed » Mon Jun 22, 2009 2:07 am

Bridgestone Motorsport’s British Grand Prix Report

Red Bull Racing driver Sebastian Vettel scored his second race win of the season after he used a two stop, soft – soft – hard tyre strategy to win a fast-paced British Grand Prix in cool and cloudy conditions at Silverstone. Vettel finished fifteen seconds ahead of team-mate Mark Webber, who used the same strategy. The final podium position went to Brawn GP Formula 1 Team driver Rubens Barrichello, who used a softhard-soft tyre strategy. Bridgestone’s soft tyre proved to be the superior race tyre here for most competitors, giving a faster lap time than the hard, and giving good consistency too.

Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, says
“Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel for his second race win of the season and Red Bull Racing on their second one-two of the year. Silverstone has a great atmosphere and we have seen a fantastic crowd here throughout the weekend in what is both a very important market for Bridgestone and an important base for our Bridgestone Motorsport operation.”

Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, says
“Today we saw very hot pace from the Red Bulls in the cool weather conditions as they used the Bridgestone hard and soft tyre s very well indeed. The best lap times of both Red Bull cars were over half a second faster than anyone else. The soft Bridgestone worked very well, especially after the second stint when there was more rubber down on the track. The hard Bridgestone did take longer to deliver its best lap time and we saw a number of illustrations of this as part of some interesting battles for position. Silverstone helped serve us an exciting fast race here today.”

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Post by Ed » Thu Jul 02, 2009 1:13 am

Bridgestone Motorsport announce tyre specifications

Bridgestone, the Official Tyre Supplier to the FIA Formula One World Championship, is pleased to announce the compound allocations of Potenza tyres for a further four rounds of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship.
For the four races from the Hungarian Grand Prix to the Italian Grand Prix Bridgestone will depart from its concept of leaving a gap in rubber stiffness between the two allocated tyres for each race, meaning that consecutive compound pairings are allocated for each of these races. Bridgestone’s intermediate and wet tyres will continue to be brought to all races.
Both allocations of dry tyres have to be used in each race, unless the intermediate or wet tyres are used, meaning that competitors need to find the best compromise to utilise the potential of both tyres. The means of distinguishing between the two compounds on event is by green bands painted on the edges of the tyre sidewalls of the softer tyres at a race. Green is the colour in order to show Bridgestone’s support of the FIA’s Make Cars Green campaign.

Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, says:
“We have made the change to the tyre allocation concept based on the data we have collected from races so far this year combined with our knowledge of the tracks we visit for these races. The cars of 2009 are very different to those used last year so we have learnt a lot so far this year, and they do use their tyres differently from before.
Hungary is a circuit where the characteristics demand our softest tyres. This is also true for street courses, and we used the softest allocation earlier in the year at Monaco, and will again in Valencia. In Spa the weather temperatures can be quite cool, so the hard compound could have caused difficulties, and the super soft would have been too soft for this track, so that means the allocation of medium and soft is obvious. In Monza the hard compound would have given too big a difference between it and the soft, so we will bring the soft and the medium.”

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Post by Ed » Wed Jul 08, 2009 9:25 pm

Bridgestone Motorsport German Grand Prix Preview

Bridgestone returns to the circuit of Nurburgring after a year’s absence where the medium and super soft compound Bridgestone Potenza tyres will be used for the German Grand Prix on July 10-12.

Last year’s race in Germany took place at Hockenheim, so this will be an interesting return to the venue which provided a very exciting wet weather race in 2007. The medium and super soft allocation is the same as used earlier this season in Australia, China and Bahrain.

This is a location which has good historical importance for Bridgestone. The first major European race win on Bridgestone tyres occurred here on the Nordschleife circuit in April 1981, when Thierry Boutsen crossed the line first in his BMW-powered March 812 in the Formula 2 championship.

Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, said:
“Germany is a good market for Bridgestone and one where we experience high levels of brand awareness. Our participation in Formula One has played a big part in building this brand awareness and we always have strong support in the home country of so many major motor manufacturers. We are always happy to return to a venue which has rich history for us in the early days of Bridgestone’s motorsport participation.”

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What are the challenges of the Nurburging?
“The Nurburgring circuit features an interesting mixture of very fast, medium fast and slow corners, so finding the correct set-up compromise is a challenge for competitors. Our tyre allocation of the medium and super soft Bridgestones should mean exciting racing. Sectors one and three are more demanding on tyre grip, traction and braking performance than in the middle sector, and it is an exciting undulating circuit. The first corner, which has a variety of racing lines, and the chicane provide good overtaking opportunities. Braking balance is also important here and care has to be taken not to lock-up and flatspot the tyres when slowing.”

Are there particular weather considerations?
“Last time we visited this circuit there was a very exciting wet weather race. The location of the Nurburgring, in the Eifel region of Germany, does often present unpredictable weather. The time of year should mean quite hot weather, but we have previously seen quite cool temperatures there, even in the summer. When we look back on Bridgestone’s history at the Nurburgring, we’ve even seen snow on a DTM race weekend in April, so we never know quite what to expect!”

Stats & Facts
Number & Spec of tyres brought to Nurburgring 1800 (Medium & super soft dry. Intermediate/wets)
Pole position time 2007: 1min 31.450secs (Raikkonen)
Fastest race lap 2007: 1min 32.853secs (Massa)
Top three 2007: Alonso, Massa, Webber

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Post by Ed » Sat Jul 11, 2009 12:50 am

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Friday Update

Bridgestone’s super soft tyre proved to be the fastest rubber on the undulating Nurburgring circuit for the first day of the German Grand Prix. In variable weather conditions, Lewis Hamilton set the day’s fastest lap time, a 1min 32.149secs, in his Vodafone McLaren Mercedes during the afternoon practice session.

Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) was the fastest driver in the morning practice session, using the medium compound to set a time of 1min 33.082secs. Conditions were cold and there was some rain today meaning that Bridgestone’s intermediate and wet tyres were seen out on track.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today it was good to see Formula One cars back at the Nurburgring after a year away. It was a cold reception we received from the weather, so maintaining tyre temperature was a challenge. The cold weather and also the wind experienced here makes matters difficult, however a second covered the top thirteen cars in the afternoon, which shows that everyone is very close on pace for this weekend.”

How do you expect this allocation to work over the weekend?
“It’s an interesting circuit here and, as illustrated today, there is always the factor of the weather too. After the British Grand Prix there was a lot of talk of tyre temperatures and how the front running teams and drivers use their tyres. I would not be surprised if that is also a topic this weekend. If it stays cold like today then the super soft could even be the preferred race tyre. For the medium compound, getting temperature into the tyre is the challenge, for the super soft, minimising graining is the challenge.”

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Post by Ed » Sun Jul 12, 2009 12:36 am

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Saturday Update

Bridgestone’s super soft tyre provided the grip for Red Bull Racing driver Mark Webber to qualify on his first ever Formula One pole position for tomorrow’s German Grand Prix at Nurburgring. Webber set a time of 1min 32.230secs, just over a tenth faster than Brawn GP Formula 1 Team driver Rubens Barrichello. Jenson Button (Brawn GP Formula 1 Team) went third fastest. Notably, Adrian Sutil and Force India achieved their highest ever qualifying with seventh. Bridgestone’s new intermediate tyre was used by a number of competitors during the qualifying session in Q2, when rainfall visited the circuit a number of times. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton used the super soft Bridgestone to go fastest in the morning session with a time of 1min 31.121secs.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today was very interesting and what an exciting way for Mark Webber to achieve his first ever pole position. The weather was cold, and then we had the additional difficulty for making tyre choice of the rain falling during parts of qualifying too. This was a difficult day for the drivers behind the wheel and the team strategists on the pit wall, but both Red Bull and Brawn achieved good results.”

What are the tyre strategy considerations for tomorrow’s race?
“Anyone who is at Nurburgring will tell you that the weather is going to be the primary consideration and a lot of time tomorrow will be spent looking at the sky and wondering what will happen next. Two years ago we had a very exciting race here with very variable weather, and tomorrow we might have something similar. If it is dry and cold, then the Bridgestone super soft could be the preferred race tyre. If it is wet, then competitors will have to match their tyre choices from the Bridgestone wet, intermediate and dry tyres to the track conditions at that time. This is a very difficult task if the weather is variable, but very exciting too.”

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Post by Ed » Mon Jul 13, 2009 1:43 am

Bridgestone Motorsport’s German Grand Prix Report

Red Bull Racing driver Mark Webber scored his first ever F1 race win after he used a two stop, super soft – medium – medium tyre strategy to win a fast-paced German Grand Prix in difficult conditions at Nurburgring.
Despite being given a drive-through penalty for causing an avoidable collision at the start, Webber finished 9.2 seconds ahead of team-mate Sebastian Vettel with Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver Felipe Massa taking third. Vettel used a super soft – medium – super soft strategy and Massa used a super soft – super soft - medium strategy for his first podium finish of the season.

Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, says “Congratulations to Mark Webber for taking his first ever Grand Prix win at the 130th attempt. This illustrates the Japanese proverb ‘continuing is the force’ and we are very happy that this win occurred using Bridgestone tyres. From a tyre analysis perspective this was a thrilling race. The conditions, such as temperature and track condition, meant that for most of the race it was very difficult to determine which was the better race tyre. This meant that drivers and strategists had to use a lot of brain power today and we saw a good variety of strategies through the field, even from drivers in the same team. “The track conditions started very green and this caused some competitors who started on the super soft tyre problems with graining and degradation. Some competitors used the medium compound very well, and Fernando Alonso was notable with his fastest lap on this tyre, however others struggled for grip and temperature with this tyre. This all added to the interest.”

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Post by Ed » Thu Jul 23, 2009 10:10 pm

Bridgestone Motorsport Hungarian Grand Prix Preview

Bridgestone will bring its two stickiest tyres to the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 24-26 which takes place on the tight and twisty 4.38km Hungaroring, one of the lowest grip circuits on the calendar.
The soft and super soft Bridgestones will be used in Hungary. This is the same combination as used in Monaco, and means that the general convention of leaving a rubber hardness gap between the two tyres Bridgestone brings to a race is not employed. The reason for this is the slippery surface of the Hungaroring circuit which does not receive much use during the course of the year, except for during the Grand Prix weekend.

The Hungaroring is a noteworthy venue for Bridgestone as it was very nearly the venue of the first Formula One race win on Bridgestone tyres, when Damon Hill came within a lap of winning the 1997 race for Arrows.

Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, said:
“Hungary is an important market for Bridgestone and it is also the home of our Tatabanya plant, which was officially opened in 2008. This plant uses our new fully-automated production system which is called BIRD (Bridgestone Innovative & Rational Development). This is the most automated tyre production system in the world, and shows that Bridgestone uses advanced technology and processes not only fo our Formula One involvement.”

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What are the challenges of the Hungaroring?
“The Hungaroring is an interesting circuit, especially as it is not used much during the year. This means the circuit grip levels experienced on Friday are likely to be very different from those experienced in the race. For deciding set-up and tyre strategy, this makes things difficult, and competitors will have to work hard. Tyre management, particularly with graining, is very important, and qualifying position is crucial as overtaking is difficult. Also, we are ever mindful of the weather as it can get very hot there, although we have seen rain in the past, notably when Jenson Button scored his first F1 race victory in 2006.”

Why has the tyre allocation gap not occurred for this race?
“We are bringing consecutive tyres from our range to Hungary because of the slippery surface and the circuit layout. This is the slowest speed permanent race circuit that we visit during the course of the season, and the surface itself is not aggressive enough to help generate heat in the tyres. The super soft and the soft Bridgestones are both from our low temperature working range of tyres. This makes it easier for the teams and drivers to generate heat and get the best performance from them.”

Stats & Facts
Number & Spec of tyres brought to Hungary 1800 (Soft & super soft dry. Intermediate/wets)
Pole position time 2008: 1min 20.899secs (Hamilton)
Fastest race lap 2008: 1min 21.195secs (Raikkonen)
Top three 2008: Kovalainen, Glock, Raikkonen

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Post by Ed » Sat Jul 25, 2009 1:13 am

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Friday Update

Bridgestone’s super soft tyre proved to be the fastest rubber on the tight and twisty Hungaroring circuit for the first day of the Hungarian Grand Prix. In hot weather conditions, Lewis Hamilton set the day’s fastest lap time, a 1min 22.079secs, in his Vodafone McLaren Mercedes during the afternoon practice session.
Heikki Kovalainen (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) was the fastest driver in the morning practice session, using the soft compound to set a time of 1min 22.278secs. Conditions were hot all day and the track reached a maximum temperature of 43 degrees Celsius during the afternoon session.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today was all about track improvement and finding set-up. As we would expect here in Hungary, the track surface developed a lot over the course of the day, as the surface was cleaned and rubber was laid. Temperatures were hot so we did see a lot of heat generated in the tyres, especially when cars were heavy and sliding on the slippery surface. Interestingly, we did not see as much graining as we would normally expect here. Lap times were close with a second covering the top 17 cars in the afternoon.”

How do you expect this allocation to work over the weekend?
“Some drivers told us today that they didn’t have enough grip with the soft compound, however past experience shows us that the circuit improves a lot so we don’t expect it to be an issue on Sunday. Both compounds worked well, so the team who can find the best set-up for qualifying and then the race will do well. This is more difficult than usual as the track develops so much here. How much track improvement we see, and the temperatures we experience on race day will help determine the race strategy. I think we are set for a very interesting weekend.”

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Post by Ed » Sun Jul 26, 2009 1:40 am

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Saturday Update

Bridgestone’s super soft tyre provided the grip for ING Renault F1 Team driver Fernando Alonso to qualify on pole position with a time of 1min 21.569secs for tomorrow’s Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring.
Today’s final qualifying session was delayed after Felipe Massa (Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro) was hit by an object, which appeared to come from another car, and drove into the tyre barriers at turn four. Massa was taken from the scene by ambulance and by helicopter from the circuit, and is being monitored in hospital.
Lewis Hamilton (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) set the fastest time in the morning practice session, using the super soft tyre to set a time of 1min 21.009secs.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Firstly, we send our very best wishes to Felipe Massa. We hope he makes a quick recovery.
“Lap times were exceptionally close today and we saw an interesting battle through the qualifying sessions. There was plenty of suspense even after the sessions had ended. Congratulations to Fernando Alonso for his first pole since Monza in 2007. Starting first is a very big prize here, as overtaking is so difficult. I am very interested to see the starting weights of the cars as I think we will have a fascinating race.”

What are the tyre strategy considerations for tomorrow’s race?
“The track surface continues to improve here, even though there was very heavy rain last night, and this improvement allows both tyres to work far better than we saw on Friday. Our data suggests that the super soft Bridgestone could be the favoured race tyre for many. We didn’t see much running of the soft tyre in the afternoon today, but in the morning there were some driver comments that there was not as much grip from this tyre and the lap times are slower. This means that how to use the soft tyre is likely to be the key consideration for tomorrow’s race.”

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Post by Ed » Mon Jul 27, 2009 2:15 am

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Hungarian Grand Prix Report

Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes used a super soft – super soft - soft tyre strategy to score his first race win of the season after a thrilling and tactical Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring. Hamilton finished over 11 seconds ahead of Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver Kimi Raikkonen who used the same tyre strategy to achieve his best finish of the season. Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) used a super soft – soft – super soft strategy for his second third placed finish of the year.

Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, says
“Congratulations to Lewis Hamilton and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes for taking their first win of the year. They have worked very hard for this result and it is good to see another winner this season. Well done to Ferrari too for their best result of the season with Kimi Raikkonen on what has been a very difficult weekend for everyone. Of course, our thoughts are with Felipe Massa who we wish a speedy recovery.”

Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, says
“Lewis Hamilton and McLaren have shown that it is possible for a KERS car to win, even on a very slow circuit, which was a great achievement today. The track conditions continued to improve through the race and we saw Mark Webber set the fastest race lap five laps before the chequered flag.
“It was interesting to see different tyre and fuel strategies through the field. Both Bridgestone tyres worked well. Some cars suffered from oversteer and we did see some rear tyre graining today, particularly on the super soft. Those who could manage this achieved good results. Overall, our tyre allocation was correct for this circuit. After what we have seen today I think we will see a very interesting end to the season after the summer break.”

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Post by Ed » Tue Aug 18, 2009 10:34 am

Bridgestone Motorsport European Grand Prix Preview

Bridgestone will bring its two softest tyres to the European Grand Prix on August 21-23 which takes place on the exciting 5.44km Valencia street course, located in the port area of Spain’s third largest city. The venue, which was new on the calendar last year, provides an interesting challenge. Although it is a temporary race facility the circuit layout resembles that of a permanent race track. The circuit has 25 corners to challenge the drivers, making set-up a real compromise. This Grand Prix will see the 150th race win taken on Bridgestone tyres.

Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, said:
“Bridgestone Spain is one of the most important subsidiaries of the Bridgestone Group, with over 4,000 employees, so it is good for us to visit Spain for a second time this year. We enjoy high brand awareness and good market share in Spain and this has been assisted by our Formula One activities. Over half of our Spanish tyre production is exported throughout the European Community so this illustrates the importance to us. Valencia was a fantastic addition to the Grand Prix calendar in 2008 and this year we look forward to returning and seeing the 150th race win taken on Bridgestone F1 tyres. This is a momentous occasion and we are very proud to supply Formula One.”

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What are the challenges of the Valencia street course?
“This is an interesting track. It has the high speed configuration of a permanent circuit, however the track surface gives away that this is only a temporary facility. There are numerous turns, yet there are also many high speed sections and we see speeds of around 300kph five times during the course of a lap.
There are low-speed corners too, so some heavy braking does take place. On the slippery surface that accompanies a street course it is difficult to find grip off line.”

What did Bridgestone learn in its first visit here last season?
“Last year we saw a lot of circuit surface evolution over the weekend and it was very much a learning process for everyone who attended the race. I think that everyone will continue to learn more about this venue when we visit it this season. We also found last year that the infamous gap between the bridge surface and the road surface presented no difficulties for our Formula One tyres.
Last year our visit to Valencia was a momentous one as it was here that we celebrated our 200th Grand Prix participation since our entry in 1997.”

Stats & Facts
Number & Spec of tyres brought to Valencia 1800 (Soft & super soft dry. Intermediate/wets)
Pole position time 2008: 1min 38.898secs (Massa)
Fastest race lap 2008: 1min 38.708secs (Massa)
Top three 2008: Massa, Hamilton, Kubica

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Post by Ed » Sat Aug 22, 2009 4:04 pm

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Friday Update

Bridgestone’s super soft tyre proved to be the fastest rubber on the streets of Valencia, with ING Renault F1 Team driver Fernando Alonso setting a 1min 39.404secs in a searing hot afternoon session.

Alonso was over seven tenths faster than second fastest driver, Jenson Button, whose Brawn GP Formula 1 team-mate Rubens Barrichello was third quickest. The morning practice session saw Barrichello go fastest, using the soft tyre to set a time of 1min 42.460secs. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Lewis Hamilton were the next quickest.
Ambient and track temperatures were hot all day, with blue skies and sunshine at the Spanish port location. The track reached a maximum of 46 degrees Celsius today, one of the highest temperatures this season.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today was all about track improvement. The surface started very dirty, as we would expect so we heard the usual comments about lack of grip. We saw quite a bit of rear lateral graining which comes from the traction and braking demands on this circuit. We also saw some front lateral graining on some cars too. This is unusual, but comes from the heavy braking on the initially dirty surface.”

How do you expect this allocation to work over the weekend?
“We would expect the super soft to be the superior tyre for lap time, but the soft to be the superior tyre for consistency and therefore the favoured race tyre. The amount of circuit improvement over the weekend will be the key to the race. As the circuit improves, so car balance will change. The team that predicts the track improvement correctly for the race will be best placed to refine their car setup to suit. Even though it was very hot here, the track layout does not put as much force through the tyres as at other circuits so we do not predict problems with tyres overheating.”

Stats of the Day

Practice One 10:00 – 11:30
Driver Team Time Tyre
Rubens Barrichello Brawn GP Formula 1 Team 1m 42.460s S
Heikki Kovalainen Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 1m 42.636s S
Lewis Hamilton Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 1m 42.654s S

Practice Two 14:00 – 15:30
Driver Team Time Tyre
Fernando Alonso ING Renault F1 Team 1m 39.404s SS
Jenson Button Brawn GP Formula 1 Team 1m 40.178s SS
Rubens Barrichello Brawn GP Formula 1 Team 1m 40.209s SS

Compounds used: Soft / Super Soft

Temperatures Ambient Track Weather

AM – Practice 1 28C-30C 31C-39C Sunny
PM – Practice 2 32C-33C 45C-43C-46C Sunny

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