BBS Japan signs Formula 1 wheel supply contract

Wheel manufacturer BBS Japan has signed a four-year contract with Formula 1 to become the exclusive supplier of new standard rims. The company, part of the Maedakosen Group, has also signed up to supply rims to NASCAR for the next three years. Both series will move to 18-inch wheels in 2022, a move that was slated to bring F1 tyres and wheels closer in dimensions to standard production models. BBS Japan, which manufactures wheels for the European BBS wheel brand, will manufacture the wheels in the “same facilities and using the same processes” as its consumer products, according to president Takahiro Maeda.