Bridgestone

Formula 1 Team reports for the 2009 F1 season includes race previews, reports and reviews
Ed
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Post by Ed » Sat Apr 25, 2009 12:32 am

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Friday Update

Bridgestone’s super soft tyre proved to be the fastest rubber on track in Sakhir for the first day of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Nico Rosberg’s AT&T Williams set the day’s fastest lap time in the afternoon practice session held in hot and sunny weather conditions. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton used the medium compound to go fastest in the similar conditions of the morning session.
The 5.41 km Bahrain International Circuit was quite slippery for the first session of the weekend due to sand on the track, as was expected due to the circuit’s desert-based location. Today was the first time that a Bridgestone’s super soft compound tyre has been used at a grand prix meeting in Bahrain, although three teams have tested with this tyre here in the pre-season testing.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today we saw very close lap times in the afternoon, with the top thirteen cars separated by a second. The track was very sandy at first this morning and this limits the amount of grip from the circuit. The hot conditions meant the air was not as dense as in pre-season testing here so there was less downforce from the cars. Because of these factors we did see drivers struggle with braking and there were many flat spots on the tyres. However, once the track improved we saw some good evaluation work from the teams and very close lap times set. Both tyres appear to work well and we expect the track to improve further tomorrow.”

How do you expect this allocation to work here over the weekend?
“We have good data from our time here in the pre-season testing. We expect that the super soft tyre will be more durable than we have seen previously, whilst providing good lap times too. The medium tyre will take longer to provide its best lap time, but will be very durable. Today the super soft tyre gave its best lap time from its first flying lap and the medium tyre gave its best from its third or fourth flying lap. I think there will be many strategy options for this weekend’s race.”

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Post by Ed » Sat May 09, 2009 1:25 am

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Saturday Update
Bridgestone’s super soft tyre allowed Panasonic Toyota Racing driver Jarno Trulli to qualify on pole and head up the first ever all-Toyota front row for tomorrow’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
Trulli set a time of 1min 33.431secs, almost three tenths ahead of team-mate Timo Glock. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing) went third fastest. Track conditions were improved from Friday, with more rubber laid and the temperatures were even hotter. Glock used the super soft tyre to go fastest in the morning practice session with a time of 1min 32.605secs.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development

What was significant about today’s running?
“Today was very good for Toyota as both of their cars qualified on the front row, so congratulations to them and Jarno Trulli for his fourth pole position. We saw further progress from Friday’s running with the circuit grip level improved, particularly in the practice session, due to the track being cleared of sand, and more rubber being laid. Qualifying was very exciting through every session, with even the faster cars using the super soft tyre to get through the first qualifying session.”

How are the two compounds working here in Bahrain?
“We are seeing an interesting weekend in terms of tyre performance. The super soft tyre has worked very well so far this weekend. It delivers a good fast lap time on average 0.7 seconds faster than the medium tyre. In terms of degradation the super soft presents an interesting challenge. Some teams can use the super soft for a long stint, however some teams will have to work hard to maintain the super soft from degradation. This means that usage of the super soft tyre will be the key point to the race. The medium tyre takes longer to warm up than the super soft, even in these hot conditions. In the race medium tyre will be very durable, however with a slower ultimate lap time than the super soft.”

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Post by Ed » Sat May 09, 2009 1:27 am

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Bahrain Grand Prix Report

Brawn GP driver Jenson Button used a super soft – super soft – medium tyre strategy to win a thrilling Bahrain Grand Prix in searing hot conditions at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Button finished 7.1 seconds ahead of Sebastian Vettel, who used the same strategy in his Red Bull. Pole-sitter Jarno Trulli used a super soft – medium – super soft strategy in his Panasonic Toyota Racing car to finish third. Bridgestone’s super soft tyre worked particularly well here, even with a track temperature of over 50 degrees Celsius, delivering good grip and consistency.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
How was the race from Bridgestone’s perspective?
“Today was a very exciting race, particularly from a tyre perspective. We saw a good range of strategies, and when to use the medium compound was a difficult decision for teams, as it delivered a consistently slower lap time than the super soft. The super soft performed well and heat degradation was not a big problem even in the extreme heat of Bahrain. There was some very good tyre management from drivers and also some strong running from competitors on the medium tyre too. I think today has shown just how exciting racing can be with two Bridgestone tyres with different characteristics with our 2009 allocations.”

As the second dry race of 2009, does this help with the understanding of the 2009 tyres?
“We have accumulated a lot of good data from the first four race weekends and this has been very useful. The other fully dry race in Australia was unusual as the track surface did not evolve in the same way as we had seen in previous seasons, so the tyre performance did not improve as we predicted there. Here in Bahrain was interesting because of the extreme heat, but our tyres performed well, and continued to give competitors a challenge for how best to use them during the course of the race.”

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Post by Ed » Sat May 09, 2009 1:28 am

Bridgestone Motorsport Spanish Grand Prix Preview

Bridgestone opens the start to nine Formula One races in Europe with the hard and soft tyres at the Spanish Grand Prix, the Gran Premio de Espana Telefonica, at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, on May 8-10.
The Spanish Grand Prix is the fifth round of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship and it takes place at a circuit that teams know very well because of the use of Barcelona as a test venue. The 4.66 km track layout features one long straight and a variety of different corners making set-up a compromise.
The track is quite a harsh one for tyres which means the hard and soft compound allocation is used. Of particular note, the left front tyre is put under significant stress over a course of a lap. As with any circuit, the compromise between finding low drag for the straights and sufficient downforce for the corners is a challenge. Barcelona’s numerous bends make for a greater focus on the corners and the high speeds attained here make for significant energy forces on the tyres.

Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, said:
What are the challenges of Barcelona?
“Barcelona has a track surface that is the middle range in terms of abrasion and roughness but durability and driver requirements mean our harder allocation combination is used. The front left tyre has a lot of work to do at this circuit and equally, teams and drivers will have a big challenge trying to gain an advantage here as they know this track so well.”
Many teams have tested their latest cars here in the pre-season, will this make a difference?
“Of course, the experience of the teams at this track with their current cars will assist them with set-up. However, the ambient and track temperatures are likely to be warmer than testing so this will have an affect. Generally, we see quite close lap times here and close races too. The circuit layout is well balanced so it is a good indicator of overall car balance. A car that performs in Barcelona has the potential to perform well at many places.”

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Post by Ed » Sat May 09, 2009 1:31 am

Spanish Grand Prix
Bridgestone Motorsport’s Friday Update
Bridgestone’s soft tyre proved to be the fastest rubber on track at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona for the first day of the Spanish Grand Prix. In warm and sunny conditions, Nico Rosberg’s AT&T Williams set the fastest lap time in the afternoon practice session, a 1min 21.588secs.
Track conditions improved throughout the day and 38 degrees Celsius was the hottest track temperature recorded. Brawn GP driver Jenson Button was the fastest driver in the morning session, using the soft compound to set a time of 1min 21.799secs. This was the first time that the current hard compound has been used in Barcelona, although this compound was previously used at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today we saw the track improve a lot during the course of the day as the surface improved with rubber put down. In the morning it was interesting as Jenson Button set the fastest time using the soft compound, but Jarno Trulli was second fastest using the hard compound. The soft compound was on average 0.6 seconds faster than the hard here.”

How do you expect this allocation to work over the weekend?
“After one day’s running here we predict that the soft tyre could be the preferred tyre for qualifying as well as the race. Both tyres have performed well today. This is a different hard compound from the one we tested here in the pre-season, but teams have quickly learnt its characteristics. The hard tyre does take longer to warm-up than the soft, and its best lap time is slower. Some teams found the hard compound we used in the winter tests here difficult to warm up, however everyone was able to get reasonable grip today which means our compound changes have worked. The soft compound has not shown any particular issues with degradation so we would expect that to be the preferred tyre for the race.”

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Post by Ed » Sun May 10, 2009 2:06 am

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Saturday Update

Bridgestone’s soft tyre allowed Brawn GP driver Jenson Button to qualify with his third pole position of the season for tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya. Button set a time of 1min 20.527secs, a tenth faster than Red Bull Racing driver Sebastian Vettel. Rubens Barrichello (Brawn GP) went third fastest. Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver Felipe Massa used the soft tyre to go fastest in the morning practice session with a time of 1min 20.553secs.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today we had an exciting qualifying session and we have an interesting grid for tomorrow’s race. Lap times are extremely close here and tyre strategy was crucial in qualifying. The soft compound is around half a second faster than the hard which meant this tyre was used extensively through all the qualifying sessions, although some of the faster competitors used the hard compound for Q1. Many teams have new aerodynamic packages here and we have been able to see how effective these developments have been.”

How are the two compounds working here in Spain?
“The two compounds are working very much as expected and there have been no surprises for teams. The soft tyre will be the preferred tyre for the race as it is faster but without significant wear or degradation issues. This should make strategy decisions easy for the race tomorrow. However, we have seen forecasts of rain, so everyone will be looking to the skies for the best indicator for the best tyre strategy.”

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Post by Ed » Mon May 11, 2009 1:22 am

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Spanish Grand Prix Report

Brawn GP driver Jenson Button used a two stop, soft – soft – hard tyre strategy to win a highly tactical Spanish Grand Prix in hot and sunny conditions at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona.
Button finished thirteen seconds ahead of team-mate Rubens Barrichello, who used a three stop, soft – soft – soft – hard tyre strategy. The final podium position went to Red Bull Racing driver Mark Webber who used the same strategy as Button for third.
Bridgestone’s soft tyre proved to be the superior race tyre here, giving a faster lap time than the hard, and giving good consistency too.

Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, says
“Congratulations to Jenson Button for his win and Brawn GP for their 1-2. It is satisfying to see an independent team such as Brawn GP perform so well and it is good to watch Jenson showing his talents at the front of the field. Spain is a very important market for Bridgestone, so to start the European season with such a strong race was very rewarding for us. Lap times were very close and we saw good action on track.”

Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, says
“Today was a very exciting race in terms of tyre strategy. It was clear all weekend that the soft tyre was a superior race tyre to the hard, so the strategy had to maximise time on the soft. We saw a variety of two and three stops take place so it was a race we had to watch closely to see who would win. Congratulations to Jenson, whose two stop strategy worked best to win the race and Rubens for a solid second place. Mark Webber also drove very well. Most drivers found the soft tyre to be very durable as well as quicker than the hard tyre. Some drivers experienced rear tyre degradation which is what we would expect with the current cars, but overall it was a strong tyre performance with no particular issues.”

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Post by Ed » Tue May 19, 2009 5:07 pm

Bridgestone Motorsport Monaco Grand Prix Preview

Bridgestone makes an exception to its 2009 race tyre allocation philosophy of leaving a gap between compounds by bringing the soft and super soft tyres to the most slippery race of the year, the Monaco Grand Prix.
Despite its relatively short length, the 3.34km Monte Carlo track has a seemingly endless supply of corners with barely a straight to mention, all bordered by unyielding Armco barriers. To make matters more difficult, the track surface is polished smooth by constant road traffic through the year, meaning that finding grip is a big challenge.
Both the soft and the super soft compounds are from the lower temperature operating range of Bridgestone’s F1 tyres, meaning quicker warm-up.
Also of note, Bridgestone will debut a new softer compound intermediate tyre at Monaco. This tyre has been designed to deliver more grip in the wet and will be used for the remainder of this season. Last season Lewis Hamilton won an eventful Monaco Grand Prix after using Bridgestone’s wet (now intermediate) and soft dry grooved tyres.

Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, said:
What are the challenges of Monaco?
“Finding grip will be the main challenge on the streets of Monte Carlo. This is a very interesting circuit, and one where the track is made of many different types of surface as well as there being public road markings on the track. Also notable is that F1 does not run on Friday, so the track conditions can change quite a lot between Thursday and Saturday. When there is no racing taking place, public vehicles and also people use the track. This makes it difficult for rubber to build up and the surface can become dirty again, which does not help the track surface develop well for racing.”

How different is the new intermediate tyre?
“The new intermediate tyre gives more grip through having a softer compound than the old one, but driving the latest specification F1 cars in the wet will always be a challenge, no matter what tyres are used. The latest cars have less downforce so less aerodynamic grip than before, and this is true in wet or dry conditions. In the dry, less downforce is not as much of a problem as the slick tyres have more grip than the previous grooved tyres, so there is more mechanical grip to counter the loss of aerodynamic grip. In the wet, even with our new intermediate tyres, there is only slightly more grip than before. In the wet we still need the drainage channels in the tread to prevent aquaplaning, so the only grip improvement must come from new compound developments.”

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Post by Ed » Fri May 22, 2009 10:51 am

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Thursday Update

Bridgestone’s super soft tyre proved to be the fastest rubber on the streets of Monte Carlo for the first day of the Monaco Grand Prix. In warm and sunny conditions overlooking the fabulous Monaco harbour, Nico Rosberg set the day’s fastest lap time, a 1min 15.243secs, in his AT&T Williams during the afternoon practice session.
Track conditions improved throughout the day as rubber was laid on the street course and the circuit surface was cleared of normal public road debris. Brawn GP driver Rubens Barrichello was the fastest driver in the morning session, using the soft compound to set a time of 1min 17.189secs. The soft and super soft compounds are used here in Monaco, both compounds being from Bridgestone’s low temperature working range of F1 tyres.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today was a challenge for all the drivers as the grip level in Monaco is very difficult to learn, and any mistakes are punished by the barriers. There are significant sections of resurfacing, however the new surface is very smooth, just as the older sections of track are, so there is not a significant difference between the two from a tyre performance perspective. As a first day at Monaco, we saw the lap times fall dramatically over the course of the day as the track cleared and the rubber was put down. It was a good day in terms of gaining data as the weather was fine and the running was not interrupted. However, we will not see any F1 running here tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see how the track surface changes for Saturday.”

How do you expect this allocation to work over the weekend?
“Even though these are our softest tyres, drivers will struggle for grip here due to the unique slippery nature of this track. Despite this, we saw very good displays from the drivers today with some exceptional car control, as we would expect of the best drivers in the world. The super soft tyre was faster than the soft tyre, as we expected. The difference between the two tyres today was around 0.4 seconds over the fastest lap. Both tyres delivered their fastest lap on the first or second flying lap, and neither tyre suffers greatly in terms of wear or degradation because of the low grip here.”

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Post by Ed » Sun May 24, 2009 1:09 am

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Saturday Update

Bridgestone’s super soft tyre provided the grip for Brawn GP Formula 1 Team driver Jenson Button to qualify on his fourth pole position of the season for tomorrow’s Monaco Grand Prix on the streets of Monte Carlo.
Button set a time of 1min 14.902secs, just over two hundredths faster than Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver Kimi Raikkonen. Rubens Barrichello (Brawn GP Formula 1 Team) went third fastest. ING Renault F1 Team driver Fernando Alonso used the super soft tyre to go fastest in the morning practice session with a time of 1min 15.164secs. The difference in lap time between the fastest and slowest driver in this session was a mere 1.7 seconds.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today we saw Jenson Button use Bridgestone’s super soft tyre for pole position here in Monaco, and as we all know, overtaking is very difficult here so pole is very beneficial. Lap times here were very close. The nature of the circuit means that the balance between mechanical grip and aerodynamic grip is more towards mechanical grip, and the close times show that all the teams can get good results from our tyres. It was also a good day for Ferrari with their first front row qualification of the season.”

What are the tyre strategy considerations for tomorrow’s race?
“The crucial question is whether the super soft tyre is durable enough to allow a one stop strategy. Our data shows that this should be possible, however a lot depends on track condition and rear tyre transverse graining. The track has changed from Thursday’s running but super soft is still around 0.4 seconds faster than the soft Bridgestone. Track temperatures were higher today, but heat degradation is not really a problem here as the track surface is smooth, so not too severe for tyres.”

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Post by Ed » Mon May 25, 2009 2:32 am

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Monaco Grand Prix Report

Brawn GP driver Jenson Button used a two stop, super soft – soft – soft tyre strategy to win a fast paced and tactical Monaco Grand Prix in hot and sunny conditions on the streets of Monte Carlo. Button finished 7.6 seconds ahead of team-mate Rubens Barrichello, who used the same tyre strategy. The final podium position went to Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver Kimi Raikkonen who used a soft – soft – super soft tyre strategy for third. His team-mate Felipe Massa used the same strategy to finish fourth, showing a return to form for the reigning constructors’ champions. Massa used the soft tyre to set the race’s fastest lap, a 1min 15.154secs, on lap 50. Tyre strategy was particularly relevant in Monaco, with the track surface evolving significantly over the course of the race making it even more difficult than usual to predict the best strategy.

Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, says
“Congratulations to Jenson Button and the Brawn GP Team for their fifth win of the season. Winning in Monaco is a special honour as here is the ultimate test of driving skill and one of the biggest tests of our Bridgestone tyres. It is a privilege to be here and see the Bridgestone brand broadcast on televisions around the world from this fabulous location.”

Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, says
“Today was very interesting in terms of tyre strategy. Those who started on the super soft Bridgestone experienced a bigger tyre performance drop off than those who used it for their final stint. The reason for this is track improvement, as the circuit surface was far more forgiving to the tyres near the end of the race. The level of track improvement could be seen by the race’s fastest lap being almost as fast as pole position. Jenson drove very well to get strong performance from the super soft in his first stint, and that helped him for his win. Four cars showed that a one stop strategy was a viable option here. There were many interesting strategies throughout the field today.”

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Post by Ed » Thu Jun 04, 2009 10:57 am

Bridgestone Motorsport Turkish Grand Prix Preview

Bridgestone’s soft compound appears for the first time at the harsh proving ground of the Istanbul Park Circuit where it will partner Bridgestone’s hard compound for the trials and undulations of the Turkish Grand Prix.

Round seven of the FIA Formula One World Championship takes place on the first anti-clockwise circuit of the season and Bridgestone’s tyres will encounter almost every type of corner and force loadings over the 5.34 km of the Hermann Tilke designed course.

Of particular note is Turn Eight. This long, multi-apex, left-hand turn places fierce loads on the tyres, particularly the front right. Only a small portion of the track is on level ground, the majority being either uphill or downhill to present drivers with a real roller-coaster drive. The final combination of corners before heading on to the start-finish straight will also give competitors plenty to think about. The left-right-left of turns 12-14 are the lowest speed areas of the track and come straight after the highest-speed straight. This combination is a breeding ground for tyre graining, so competitors will have to pay particular attention here to minimise this, especially early in the race weekend when the circuit is dirtier and has less rubber on it.

Last year Felipe Massa (Ferrari) achieved his second win of the season in the Turkish Grand Prix, after starting from pole and using a medium-medium-hard tyre strategy to win.

Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, said:
What are the challenges of Turkey?
“Istanbul has a wide range of different corner types and is a very difficult circuit to master in terms of car set-up and maximising tyre potential. It has high speed sections and also heavy braking. Both of these factors mean that a lot of energy is being put through the tyres, so watching wear and degradation will be a consideration. This circuit is not only a challenge for our tyres, drivers face a tough race too as the circuit is not clockwise like most of the tracks on the calendar.”

How should the tyres cope with the tricky Turn Eight?
“Turn Eight is a difficult corner and we have learnt a lot about this corner from the problems we have seen here in the past. This season we are using slick tyres, and they are inherently stronger in the tread than a grooved tyre. In addition, we developed the tyres using the data gained here previously, so we are not predicting any issues, however we are always vigilant as this corner produces the highest G forces we see all season.”

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Post by Ed » Sat Jun 06, 2009 12:13 am

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Friday Update - Turkey

Bridgestone’s hard tyre proved to be the fastest rubber in the heat of Istanbul for the first day of the Turkish Grand Prix at the purpose-built Istanbul Park race track. In warm, sunny and windy conditions, Heikki Kovalainen set the day’s fastest time, a 1min 28.841secs, in his Vodafone McLaren Mercedes in the afternoon practice session.
Bridgestone’s hard and soft compound presented competitors with a stern challenge to find a good set-up on the changing circuit surface. The morning practice session was temporarily stopped with a red flag period whilst some dislodged Astroturf was removed from the track. Nico Rosberg went fastest in this session, using the hard compound Bridgestone and his AT&T Williams to set a time of 1min 28.952secs.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today was mainly about track condition. Istanbul Park is a fabulous track, but it is not used very much during the year. This means it starts the weekend dirty and it takes time before rubber is laid on the surface to allow our tyres to work well. In the second session this improvement did not happen as much as we would expect and we are working to understand why this could be. Certainly, it was relatively windy today and this has an impact on the current generation F1 cars. Today we heard a lot of talk about lack of grip and graining, however that is usual for a Friday. Here we generally see one of the greatest track weekend evolutions of the season so tomorrow will be interesting.”

How do you expect this allocation to work over the weekend?
“This weekend looks to be a little difficult in terms of making predictions and the data from today shows there is still work to be done on set-up for teams, but also that the track is changing. Interestingly, we saw some big differences in car balance dependant on which compound was used, which is not something we have experienced to this extent so far this season. Track temperature is important here. If it gets hotter than today we expect the hard tyre to give more grip than the soft. If it gets cooler, we expect the soft tyre to offer better grip than the hard. Today was in the middle in terms of temperature, so grip levels and lap times were very similar between the compounds .”

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Post by Ed » Sat Jun 06, 2009 11:36 pm

Turkish Grand Prix

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Saturday Update

Bridgestone’s soft tyre provided the grip for Red Bull Racing driver Sebastian Vettel to qualify on his second pole position of the season for tomorrow’s Turkish Grand Prix at Istanbul Park. Vettel set a time of 1min28.316secs, a tenth faster than Brawn GP Formula 1 Team driver Jenson Button, who also used the soft Bridgestone. Rubens Barrichello (Brawn GP Formula 1 Team) went third fastest, using the hard compound.
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver Felipe Massa used the hard tyre to go fastest in the morning practice session with a time of 1min 27.983secs. Illustrating the close performance today, a second covered the top 16 cars in the Q1 session and half a second covered the top ten in Q2.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today we saw a very close and exciting qualifying session. Deciding which compound to use and getting the correct set-up was the biggest task. The track condition was improved from yesterday and it was hotter and there was less wind. This meant that several factors had changed, so competitors faced a big challenge. The soft Bridgestone proved faster than the hard compound, but the difference was only slight. The soft tyre still shows more graining than the hard and this was a factor today.”

What are the tyre strategy considerations for tomorrow’s race?
“Management of the soft Bridgestone will be the primary consideration for many. The hard compound looks to deliver good consistent performance and the lap time difference between it and the softer tyre is not as much as we have seen for most of the races so far this year. So far our data regarding Turn Eight has not highlighted any problems, however tomorrow will see race stints with heavier fuel loads so we remain vigilant.”

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Post by Ed » Mon Jun 08, 2009 1:55 am

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Turkish Grand Prix Report

Brawn GP driver Jenson Button used a two stop, hard – hard – soft tyre strategy to win a fast paced Turkish Grand Prix in hot and sunny conditions at the Istanbul Park circuit. Button finished 6.7 seconds ahead of Red Bull Racing driver Mark Webber, who used the same strategy. The final podium position went to Webber’s team-mate Sebastian Vettel, who was the only driver to use a three stop strategy, using the soft tyre for only his final stint. Bridgestone’s hard tyre proved to be the superior race tyre here, with good consistency. Button set the race’s fastest lap, a 1min27.579secs, using the hard tyre on lap 40. There was some front tyre graining seen on the soft tyre, however this did not cause any particular issues. Most drivers used a two stop strategy, however Lewis Hamilton(Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) and Sebastien Bourdais (Scuderia Toro Rosso) completed the race distance on a one stop strategy.

Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, says
“Today was an interesting race in very hot conditions. Congratulations to the Brawn team and Jenson Button who were a very good combination today. I am happy to say we did not have any tyre problems at this very severe circuit, even in the notorious Turn Eight. We continued to see graining on the soft tyre, but this was much less than yesterday so lap times remained reasonably quick. Tyre strategy considerations were quite straight forward as the lap time difference between the two compounds at this circuit was not so big, but the hard was more durable. We did see one stop strategies today, illustrating that even the soft tyre was capable of doing a long stint.”

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