Singapore GP to Provide Public Road Challenge for Bridgestone

Bridgestone Motorsport will take its medium and super soft Potenza tyres to the fifteenth round of the Formula One season, the spectacular night race that is the Singapore Grand Prix on 24-26 September. The race takes place around the streets of the Marina Bay area of the city of Singapore and has provided exciting races in each of its previous two attempts. With the Drivers Championship delicately balanced between five potential champions and the less predictable track conditions offered by public roads, tyre strategy could once again provide a crucial tipping point in the direction of the podium places.

The 5.01 km track features significant straights and many low speed corners meaning high braking and tyre traction demands, as Hirohide Hamashima explains: “Singapore is a street course so we will see a lot of surface evolution and improvement as the track is first cleaned by cars running, then racing rubber is laid, meaning better grip. This makes finding a good set-up difficult as the track condition is a moving target. The first time we visited the circuit was very bumpy, but this was improved for last year. For 2010 it will be interesting for us to learn about the surface again as it is made up of public roads which are used throughout the year for purposes other than a Grand Prix.”

Hiroshi Yasukawa, director of Bridgestone Motorsport, says: “Singapore is an important hub in Asia and a fantastic location for Formula 1 and Bridgestone to visit, so we look forward to our third Grand Prix appearance there. This is the first of three races in Asia and it is important for us to harness these final opportunities from Formula 1. We look forward to some late nights and an exciting race at this superb event.”