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 Oct 03, 2009 7:59 pm

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Saturday Update

Bridgestone’s soft tyre carried Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing) to his fourth pole position of the season for tomorrow’s Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. Vettel set a time of 1min 32.160secs in a qualifying session which was red flagged three times. Panasonic Toyota Racing Driver Jarno Trulli set the fastest time in the morning practice session, also using the soft Bridgestone Potenza.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today was a big challenge for all drivers. The weather was dry, meaning that yesterday’s information from a wet track was not much use. This meant that teams only had the one hour of FP3 to accumulate the same data they would usually gain over four hours of practice. The track improved, as we would expect with the first dry running of the weekend, but this made set-up a challenge and we saw an interesting order at the end of FP3. The difficulty continued in qualifying, with two red flag periods in Q2 and one in Q3. It seemed that the older surface of the west track gave less grip for braking which may have caught out some drivers. Sebastian Vettel did well to get pole today and we hope that Timo Glock was not badly hurt in his accident.”

What are the tyre strategy considerations for tomorrow’s race?
“Obviously we do not have as much data as we would have if Friday had been dry, but this is one of the challenges of motor racing. The soft tyre is definitely the quicker tyre, and it does not appear to have too bad degradation levels, meaning that it could be the preferred race tyre. The hard tyre takes longer to warm up than the soft, but we do not have sufficient data to know exactly the lap time difference between the two tyres. That said, I’m sure we will see an exciting race here at Suzuka.”

Stats of the Day
Practice Three 11:00 – 12:00
Driver Team Time Tyre
Jarno Trulli Panasonic Toyota Racing 1m 31.709s S
Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m 31.771s H
Nico Rosberg AT&T Williams 1m 32.343s S

Qualifying 14:00 – 15:30
Driver Team Time Tyre
Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1m 32.160s S
Jarno Trulli Panasonic Toyota Racing 1m 32.220s S
Lewis Hamilton Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 1m 32.395s S

Compounds used: Hard / Soft
Temperatures Ambient Track Weather
AM – Practice 3 27C-28C 36C-39C Sunny
PM – Qualifying 28C-27C 42C-39C Sunny

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Post by Ed » Mon Oct 05, 2009 1:16 am

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Japanese Grand Prix Report

Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing) used a hard – hard – soft tyre strategy to score his third race win of the season after a dominant performance in the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

Vettel finished over four seconds ahead of Panasonic Toyota Racing driver Jarno Trulli, who used the same tyre strategy, whilst Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton used soft – hard – soft to finish third.

Shoshi Arakawa - Bridgestone Chairman of the Board, President and CEO, says “Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel for his victory here at the Suzuka Circuit. The Japanese Grand Prix was held at Suzuka in beautiful weather today after a two year interval, and I believe the spectators thoroughly enjoyed the world’s top class battles of Formula One. We are proud that our tyres have helped to provide an impressive and exciting race. Bridgestone, as the Official Tyre Supplier to the FIA Formula One World Championship, will continue to support all of the teams and drivers with our full efforts for the season’s remaining two races.”

Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, says
“Well done to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing for keeping the drivers’ championship alive with a thrilling win. Congratulations to Jarno Trulli for scoring Toyota’s second podium finish in as many races and also to the reigning champion Lewis Hamilton for his third place for McLaren. We were privileged to have many Bridgestone guests, staff and board members here to enjoy fantastic racing.”

Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, says “From the beginning of the race the soft tyre worked well, however in the second two thirds of the race it really came alive and we saw very good race performance from this tyre. The high track temperature meant that the hard compound could be used at the start which would not be as advisable on a colder track due to longer warm-up requirements. This was a safe strategy for those concerned by any degradation from the soft, however those who did opt to use the soft at the start saw good performance.”

Stats of the Day
Race: 14:00 – 15:29
Driver Team Time Tyre Strategy
Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1h 28m 20.443s HHS
Jarno Trulli Panasonic Toyota Racing 1h 28m 25.320s HHS
Lewis Hamilton Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 1h 28m 26.915s SHS

Tyres used: Medium / Soft
Temperatures Ambient Track Weather
PM – Race 28C-27C 43C-40C Sunny

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Post by Ed » Wed Oct 14, 2009 11:23 pm

Bridgestone Motorsport Brazilian Grand Prix Preview

Bridgestone heads to Sao Paulo for the Brazilian Grand Prix on October 16-18, where the medium and super soft compound Potenzas will be put to use around the undulating anti-clockwise Interlagos circuit.
This is the penultimate race of the season and the final time that this allocation will be seen. The combination of medium and super soft has been seen previously this year in Australia, China, Bahrain and Germany.

Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, said:
What are the challenges of Interlagos?
“This is a very challenging and exciting circuit. The first corner comes at the end of a long straight, and it goes downhill, meaning that finding the correct braking point is difficult. We expect to see some overtaking and brake locking here, and this could damage the tyres. The circuit surface often starts very dirty and we see a lot of improvement over the weekend. As we saw last year, the weather can also be a very big challenge.”

What are the primary tyre performance considerations?
“Interlagos is a circuit where high grip is a priority. We have the stiffness gap in our allocation, so teams will have to work out the best set-ups for both tyres, and there should be many strategy considerations and possibilities. Traditionally we would see a lot of graining here, due to the initially dirty surface and the twisty infield section, however this will be less of a factor this season, due to slick tyres being more resistant to graining relative to the grooved tyres we used before.”

Stats & Facts
Number & Spec of tyres brought to Interlagos 1800 (Medium & Super soft dry. Intermediate/wets)
Pole position time 2008: 1min 13.736secs (Massa)
Fastest race lap 2008: 1min 12.368secs (Massa)
Top three 2008: Massa, Alonso, Raikkonen

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Post by Ed » Sun Oct 18, 2009 12:05 pm

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Friday Update

Bridgestone’s super soft tyre proved to be the fastest rubber at the undulating anti-clockwise Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo for the first day of the Brazilian Grand Prix as Fernando Alonso set a time of 1min 12.314secs in the afternoon practice session.
Red Bull Racing driver Mark Webber set the fastest time in the morning practice session, using the super soft to achieve a 1min 12.463secs. Weather conditions were cool and cloudy all day with intermittent showers. In the afternoon session all drivers were separated by less than a second.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“The first day at Interlagos is always a challenge and today was no different. The track surface was dirty and wet from drizzle and the weather was cooler than we expected. The temperature meant that the medium compound took a little longer to warm-up. Even so, both compounds worked well. The super soft has more grip however we saw graining on the front and rear tyres. Some drivers reported a moving sensation from the rear with the super soft, and this is a characteristic of the softer compound rubber.”

How do you expect this allocation to work over the weekend?
“We have to look to the skies for the answer to that question. As we saw last year, rain can be a very big factor here and many forecasts predict more rain over the weekend. For qualifying with the temperature similar to today we can expect the super soft to be the favoured tyre. For the race the medium compound should be the favoured tyre, although some competitors might find good results with the super soft.”

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Post by Ed » Sun Oct 18, 2009 12:08 pm

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Saturday Update

Bridgestone’s intermediate tyre took Rubens Barrichello (Brawn GP Formula 1 Team) to his first pole position since Brazil 2004 to delight his home crowds on a very wet day at Interlagos.
Qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix was interrupted by red flag periods and delayed due to the wet conditions. Bridgestone’s wet tyre was the only one used in Q1, but the wet and the intermediate were used in Q2 and only the intermediate in Q3 as there was less standing water.
The wet was also the only tyre used in the morning practice, which had limited running due to heavy rain, and was ended early by red flags. Nico Rosberg (AT&T Williams) was fastest in this session.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“I think it is fair to say that the rain was the main factor today and this was the longest qualifying session I can remember. A wet track is one of the biggest challenges in motor racing, because the grip level from the circuit is always changing. This makes choosing the correct tyre at the correct moment crucial, especially with the current qualifying format. At times the circuit was too wet for running, especially with some cars not running full wet set-ups. Overall we are happy with tyre performance today and it is very interesting for the championship battle to see Rubens Barrichello on pole so well done to him and Brawn GP. Mark Webber and Adrian Sutil also put in strong performances in the difficult conditions.”

What are the tyre strategy considerations for tomorrow’s race?
“If it’s dry then we think the medium compound will be the preferred race tyre, as the super soft suffers from worse degradation. However, if temperatures are very cold and there is the threat of rain the super soft with its lower temperature working range and extra grip could show benefits. If it is wet like today tyre choices become very difficult and we saw a very good illustration of this last time we visited Interlagos.”

Ed
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Post by Ed » Wed Oct 28, 2009 5:42 pm

Bridgestone Motorsport Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Preview

Bridgestone heads to Yas Marina for the first ever Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on October 30 – November 1, where the medium and soft compound Potenzas will be exploring this exciting new 5.5 km circuit. This is the final race of a thrilling season which began in Melbourne in March. The combination of medium and soft has been seen previously this year in Belgium and Italy.

Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, said:
“It is wonderful for us to be ending the season at a fantastic new venue and all credit to everyone involved with the Yas Marina circuit for creating a superb new facility to be seen by millions of television viewers around the world. The Middle East is a strategically important market for us and we will be welcoming a large number of important customers and guests to this race.”

Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, said:
What are the challenges of Yas Marina?
“This will be the first ever race meeting at this circuit so it is very much a step into the unknown. Of course, we work very closely with the circuit and teams with simulations and evaluations of the layout, and we have been working with a sample of the track surface. We will also have some data from the GP2 Asia Series test which takes place the week before the Grand Prix. In terms of expected lateral forces we can say that the circuit is similar to Valencia. The track surface is similar to Barcelona or Fuji.
Our ambient temperature predictions place Abu Dhabi as being similar to Bahrain. The track is new so very dark in colour, meaning it could get quite hot. We expect to see a lot of surface evolution.”

What are the primary tyre performance considerations?
“The circuit layout is a typical stop and go street course so there will be traction demands. As with any new surface we can expect the possibility of graining early in the weekend. We have brought the medium and soft compound Bridgestone Potenza tyres as they sit in the middle of our tyre range. It is difficult to know exactly what the temperatures will be, especially the track surface temperature with such a dark new surface.”

Stats & Facts
Number & Spec of tyres brought to Abu Dhabi 1800 (Medium & soft dry. Intermediate/wets)

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Post by Ed » Fri Nov 13, 2009 10:17 pm

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Friday Update

Bridgestone’s soft tyre took Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Heikki Kovalainen to the fastest time of the first ever day of Formula One cars running at the spectacular Yas Marina Circuit for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Kovalainen set a time of 1m 41.307secs in the later of the two afternoon practice sessions. His teammate Lewis Hamilton was fastest in the first practice session, using the medium compound Bridgestone Potenza.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today was all about learning this fantastic new circuit so for the teams and the drivers it was a big challenge. As with any new circuit the grip level increased a lot through the day and we saw a big improvement in lap times. Our desert location means there was sand and dust on the track at the beginning of the day too. In the later session the track temperature dropped quite quickly after sunset, but even the coolest temperature seen was still quite warm.”

How do you expect this allocation to work over the weekend?
“We expect the track to further improve tomorrow. We are currently analysing today’s data as it is still very early to say how exactly the medium and soft will work in the race. We saw graining today, especially on the rear. There was more graining on the soft compound, as you would expect. Whilst there was good grip improvement on the racing line, off-line the track is still quite dirty so drivers need to be vigilant here. A good qualifying and race set-up will depend on how well the teams predict the grip improvement from the track.”

Stats of the Day

Practice One 13:00 – 14:30
Driver Team Time Tyre
Lewis Hamilton Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 1m 43.939s M
Jenson Button Brawn GP Formula 1 Team 1m 44.035s M
Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1m 44.153s M

Practice Two 17:00 – 18:30
Driver Team Time Tyre
Heikki Kovalainen Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 1m 41.307s S
Lewis Hamilton Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 1m 42.504s S
Jenson Button Brawn GP Formula 1 Team 1m 41.541s M

Compounds used: Medium / Soft
Temperatures Ambient Track Weather
PM – Practice 1 32C-34C 46C-50C-48C Sunny
PM – Practice 2 30C 35C-32C Cloudy / dusk / dark

Ed
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Post by Ed » Fri Nov 13, 2009 10:19 pm

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Saturday Update

Lewis Hamilton (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) has used Bridgestone’s medium compound Potenza tyre to blast to the first ever pole position at the dramatic Yas Marina circuit for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Hamilton set a time of 1min 40.948secs and will start tomorrow’s race alongside Red Bull Racing driver Sebastian Vettel. The earlier practice session saw Brawn GP Formula 1 Team driver Jenson Button set the fastest time, also using the medium compound.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today was about further learning the track and it still has a few tricks. We were treated to an exciting qualifying session and one where our harder tyre proved to be the quickest for pole position. Lewis Hamilton did a great job, particularly with his 1min 39.695secs time on the medium in Q2. Track conditions continue to improve so tomorrow’s race should be fascinating on many levels.”

What are the tyre strategy considerations for tomorrow’s race?
“Our information shows that neither tyre suffers particularly from degradation or wear. The medium tyre is very well suited to this track. It has good grip and its performance is consistent, meaning that lap times should fall as the cars get lighter. Based on the information so far the major race tyre strategy consideration will be minimising use of the soft. However, as the track is still improving so we could see better performance from the soft tomorrow.”

Stats of the Day

Practice Three 14:00 – 15:00
Driver Team Time Tyre
Jenson Button Brawn GP Formula 1 Team 1m 40.625s M
Lewis Hamilton Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 1m 40.627s S
Rubens Barrichello Brawn GP Formula 1 Team 1m 40.907s M

Qualifying 17:00 – 18:00
Driver Team Time Tyre
Lewis Hamilton Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 1m 40.948s M
Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1m 41.615s M
Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1m 41.726s M

Compounds used: Medium / Soft
Temperatures Ambient Track Weather
PM – Practice 3 34C 50C-51C-48C Sunny
PM – Qualifying 30C-29C 35C-31C Sunny / dusk

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Post by Ed » Fri Nov 13, 2009 10:23 pm

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Report

Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing) won the final round of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship season in emphatic fashion after using a medium-medium-soft Bridgestone Potenza tyre strategy in a thrilling first-ever Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina. Vettel led team-mate Mark Webber across the line, with newly crowned champion Jenson Button battling Webber hard and taking third. All podium finishers used the same tyre strategy.

Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, says
“What a way to end a thrilling season of Formula One racing, with a great battle right to the chequered flag at this fabulous new circuit. Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing for their win today. It has been a pleasure to be part of this exciting season, with so many changes and the return of slick tyres. We must say a big thank you to all of the teams who make this such a great sport which so many people enjoy around the world. Also thank you to all our staff, who work so hard throughout the year. This was Bridgestone’s 13th year in Formula One and we saw the 150th GP race win on our tyres. We now look forward to 2010 full of expectation for another exciting and dramatic year.”

Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, says
“Today the track continued to improve so we saw lap times improve all through the race. The medium showed very good performance and the soft was very durable, as seen by those making only one pit stop. Overall we are happy with today’s performance. The Yas Marina Circuit is a fantastic new track and we have learnt a lot on our first visit. This has been a great year and everyone has adapted very well to the many changes including slick tyres and no in-season testing. We now look to our preparations for 2010, with no refuelling and narrower front tyres.”

Stats of the Day

Race: 17:00 – 18:35
Driver Team Time Tyre Strategy
Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1h 34m 03.414s M-M-S
Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1h 34m 21.271s M-M-S
Jenson Button Brawn GP Formula 1 Team 1h 34m 21.881s M-M-S

Tyres used: Medium / Soft
Temperatures Ambient Track Weather
PM – Race 31C-29C 37C-30C Sunny / Dusk / Dark

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Post by Ed » Fri Nov 13, 2009 10:27 pm

2009 Season Review with Hiroshi Yasukawa, Director of Bridgestone Motorsport

How would you evaluate the 2009 season from Bridgestone’s perspective?
The 2009 season took place in very difficult economic circumstances but within the sport of Formula One we saw fantastic competition. It was great to see so many race winners and such close racing from the cars on track, despite all of the changes. We continued to provide fair service to all of the teams who this year had new challenges with many rule changes. The return to slick tyres was met with a positive response from the teams and the many millions of fans around the world so this was very good for us. The story of Brawn Grand Prix and Jenson Button winning the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championship titles was also remarkable and it was a great pleasure to be a part of it.

What does Bridgestone gain from its Formula One involvement?
Formula One is a highly visible marketing tool, not just for our brand but also for initiatives like the FIA’s Make Cars Green campaign, for which we carry the green bands on the tyres at all events. As well as our brand name featuring on all of our tyres at races there is also circuit branding which gains significant exposure. Through working with many of the world’s top motor manufacturers we have learnt many good lessons and established very good working relationships with them. For our sales companies around the world our involvement in Formula One gives them unique and valuable access to many top sporting events.

How important has Formula One been for Bridgestone?
Formula One has been crucial to us building the Bridgestone brand around the world. In Japan, the name Bridgestone has been famous for most of our company’s history however we needed something that would showcase our performance and technology around the world. Formula One achieves this perfectly as it is one of the world’s top sports and the only one where our products can be used as part of the sporting activity. We have developed many good business relationships in Formula One and we have worked very closely with the teams, the FIA, FOM, the circuits and it has been a pleasure to work with them this season. We also thank our staff for their hard work this year.

How will Bridgestone approach the 2010 season?
Next season will be our fourteenth season in Formula One. We will continue to deliver safe tyres to Formula One in a professional manner. Safety is always a priority for us and we will continue to promote environmental matters through the FIA’s Make Cars Green campaign. It should be an interesting season as there will be no refuelling, which means that our tyres will change and we will also introduce a narrower front tyre too. There are 19 races scheduled with the return to Canada and a visit to Korea for the first time. We also look forward to welcoming new teams to this fabulous sport.

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Post by Ed » Fri Nov 13, 2009 10:33 pm

2009 Season Review with Hirohide Hamashima, Director of Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development

What were the key factors for Bridgestone in 2009?
We re-introduced slick tyres and this was a significant change in philosophy in the Formula One regulations away from the grooved tyres of the previous eleven seasons. The aerodynamic regulation changes meant that teams had to work hard to develop and refine their cars though the season, and this was made harder with there being no testing. We worked very closely with all of the teams to help them to achieve their goals in this intense competition. This season we also responded to requests to make a bigger difference between the two different compounds that the regulations stipulate we bring to races. We achieved this with the concept of different temperature working ranges for our tyre allocations and this added another element of challenge for competitors at races.

Which were the most significant factors for the sport this season?
I think that the changes in regulations combined with no testing provided the biggest challenge. Previously there would be test days all through the season and teams would be able to develop their cars and test parts with the luxury of time and mileage. This year’s change meant that we saw a variety of competitors at the front of the field, and some incredible developments to the cars over the season despite these limiting factors.

Bridgestone used slick tyres in its first season of Formula One – how much tyre development has there been in the intervening eleven years? We have learnt a lot from our participation in Formula One. The eleven seasons with grooved tyres were very good for our development. A grooved tyre is not a natural racing tyre so making it perform like one was a big challenge. The return to slicks meant we could apply the technology and lessons learnt to the ultimate racing tyre that is a slick.

Next season there will be a smaller front tyre, tell us about this.
For 2010 we will have a narrower front tyre. This will help to bring a better grip balance between the front and the rear grip of the cars. When we changed back to slick tyres the grooved tyre size was retained, meaning that the front gained proportionally more grip than the rear. This is addressed by making the front tyre narrower.

Also next year, there will be no refuelling – how much of an impact does this have for Bridgestone?
The cars will be around 100kg heavier at the start of a race so the tyre needs to be stronger. However, when you consider that the downforce acting on a car can be as much as 2000kg an extra 100kg is not so much of a change for us in terms of our tyre compounds and construction. For competitors the omission of refuelling will add another challenge and I expect we will see an evolution of race strategies through the season as everyone begins to understand what works best. Drivers will have to use their tyre management skills at the beginning of the race, especially at the start, when the cars are heaviest and the tyres at their coolest.

There is the new destination of Korea on the provisional calendar for next year - are you looking forward to racing at another new location?
We have welcomed many new circuits to Formula One over the past few seasons and it is always interesting to embrace new challenges. Korea will be a new circuit on the calendar and we are also due to return to Montreal which can provide its very own challenges. Nineteen races will mean that we are very busy through the year!

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