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A Valuable Experience – Bridgestone’s Hirohide Hamashima on his F1 years

When Bridgestone packs up its gear following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November, a 14-year chapter in the company’s history will come to a close. Accompanying Bridgestone during its entire Formula One journey has been Bridgestone Motorsport’s director of motorsport tyre development, Hirohide Hamashima. From the very first F1 tyres developed in secret during the late 1980s right through to today, Hamashima has been a central figure in Bridgestone Motorsport’s team. Yet the role he has played in the high profile motorsport championship is one that earlier would have been hard to imagine.

8th September 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Finalises Final Four F1 GP Compound Allocations

With the Formula One Drivers and Constructors Championships still very much in the balance and competition at a premium, a margin such as the tyre compounds available could be a factor in deciding the eventual winner. Bridgestone has announced its last four allocations before it hands sole tyre supply over to Pirelli in 2011, from the Japanese Grand Prix on 10 October to the season-closer at Abu Dhabi on 14 November. A gap of one step between compounds features for each of the Grands Prix. The first-ever Korean Grand Prix will feature the hard and soft compound Bridgestone Potenza tyres.

7th September 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli ‘Slightly Ahead’ With F1 Tyre Testing

Testing of Pirelli’s Formula One tyres continues, and the Italian tyre maker says test driver Nick Heidfeld was busy at the Le Castellet circuit in the south of France during the first week of September. The Toyota TF109 test car fitted with F1 PZero tyres was on the track for two days in order to further evaluate tyre construction and compounds.

6th September 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Is Michelin to Return to WRC?

Having ruled itself out of Formula One tyre supply in the wake of Pirelli’s dramatic entrance earlier in the year Michelin looks like it may be on the verge of entering another major FIA motorsport series. Autosport reports today that the French giant’s competitions director Nick Shorrock contacted motorsport’s governing body to make known its desire to take on the supply of rally tyres for the first time since the 2007 season, when it was involved under the BF Goodrich brand. At the start of the 2011 season it will be six years since the Michelin name was associated with the World Rally Championship.

1st September 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Hamilton Wins as Tyre Choices Take Priority in Variable Weather

The impact of the correct tyre choices at the Belgian Grand Prix was underlined by the discrepant fortunes of old team-mates/enemies Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, with the former winning the race and the latter falling victim to poorly timed dry and wet weather tyre fitments. Hamilton used a soft – hard – intermediate tyre strategy throughout an afternoon in which team bosses’ eyes remained on the rain radar. Alonso gambled in qualifying, using up too many fresh soft compound Bridgestone Potenzas. Red Bull’s Mark Webber, an increasingly likely title-challenger, finished second after surviving a terrible start from pole, while Renault’s Robert Kubica finished third, once again underlining his class in a car many believe to be inferior to those of his closest championship rivals, Felipe Massa and Nico Rosberg.

31st August 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Alonso Fastest in Friday Practice at Spa

Formula One is back this weekend after its summer break. Belgium’s Spa Francorchamps circuit saw Bridgestone’s soft tyre take Ferrari ‘s Fernando Alonso to the fastest time of the day amidst typically mixed weather conditions. Alonso set his 1m 49.032secs time on a largely dry track right at the end of the afternoon session, which was interrupted by a red flag period. Alonso was also fastest in the morning’s wet conditions, using Bridgestone’s wet tyre to set his time. The full weather range of Bridgestone Potenzas were used today, with the wet and intermediate as well as hard and soft dry slick tyres all seeing track action.

27th August 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli ‘Satisfied’ With F1 Tyre Performance in First Test

Two days of Formula One tyre testing concluded on August 18, and Pirelli discloses the purpose of this first test was to begin the process of determining the front and rear tyre profile and construction that will be used as the basis of its new PZero Formula One tyre. Driver Nick Heidfeld spent the two days behind the wheel of a Toyota TF109 in predominately dry and sunny conditions at the Mugello circuit in Italy. Fitted to the Toyota F1 car were sample prototype versions of the new PZero.

20th August 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone, Just Tyres Announces F1 Draw Winner

Bridgestone and Just Tyres have announced the winner of their Formula One promotion. Paul Collis from Cardington, Bedfordshire won a pair of tickets for a three-day weekend at this year’s British Grand Prix after he used a 10 per cent off Bridgestone tyres voucher (and free prize-draw entry) printed in the Bedford Times and Citizen. He was joined by his son Simon, who worked with McLaren as an engineering student, and Ian Grant, managing director of Just Tyres at Silverstone before being given a tour of the Red Bull garage and the opportunity to see the F1 drivers in practice.

18th August 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Joining Pirelli a ‘Great Privilege’ – Heidfeld

Nick Heidfeld, who is busy testing tyres as part of Pirelli’s Formula One development programme, has thanked the Mercedes racing team for releasing him from his contract so he could carry out this work. “It’s a great privilege for me to join Pirelli in order to carry out this vital work and I am very grateful to Mercedes GP Petronas for releasing me from my contract to take on this role,” he said. “Through the experience I have built up over the years, I’m confident that I will be able to provide Pirelli with some important feedback regarding the development of next year’s tyres. I’ve got a lot to give but I haven’t been driving so much this year, so it is good to get started. Together, I’m sure that we can create a dynamic range of tyres that will make Formula One an even more exciting sport in the future.”

18th August 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Nick Heidfeld Tests Pirelli F1 Tyres at Tuscany’s Mugello Circuit

Former BMW Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld appears to have been given the permanent job of Formula One tyre tester for Pirelli, as motorsport news sources report that he took to the Mugello Circuit near Florence in the manufacturer’s home country. Heidfeld will pilot the 2009 Toyota TF109 around the Italian circuit over the next two days, while reports suggest the tyre-maker is to travel to the Jerez, Monza and Paul Ricard circuits too as Pirelli readies its rubber for the start of the 2011 season when it takes over from Bridgestone as F1’s exclusive tyre supplier.

16th August 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Webber Dominates in Hungary to Lead Championship

Red Bull’s Mark Webber used a perfectly timed super soft-medium tyre strategy to win the Hungarian Grand Prix and take the lead of the Formula 1 drivers’ championship in Sunday’s Grand Prix. He was able to extend a lead over Fernando Alonso thanks to a 43 lap first stint on the same set of Bridgestone super soft tyres on which he qualified, continuing to set fastest laps right up until changing to the medium compound, despite searing temperatures at the Hungaroring. He led Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver Fernando Alonso across the line by over 17 seconds with teammate Sebastian Vettel in third.

2nd August 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Testing Begins on Pirelli F1 Rubber

Due to take over from Bridgestone as Formula One’s tyre supplier after the current 2010 season, Pirelli has started testing its tyres on a GP2 car in France, reported Manipe F1, which published an interview with Pirelli’s motorsport director, Paul Hembery. He declared himself “very happy with the performance of the product for the first test”.

28th July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Ferrari One-Two Marred by Fine following Tame German Grand Prix

Ferrari’s second first and second place finish and general domination over the weekend at the German Grand Prix was marred by a maximum $100,000 fine for breaching sporting regulations, after Felipe Massa appeared to allow Fernando Alonso to pass him and win the race after a less-than-coded message from his engineer. While Ferrari officials and Massa himself denied any instructions effectively to hand the race to Alonso were issued, the constructor decided to accept the fine without appeal “in the interests of the sport,” according to team boss Stefano Domenicali. Bridgestone’s attempts to inject interest with the widest possible gap between tyre compounds were foiled by low track temperature allowing the super soft tyre to run longer than had been anticipated.

26th July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone uses Widest Tyre Compound Gap at German Grand Prix

The German Grand Prix had an exciting, rain-affected first practice session, with strong Championship contender Lewis Hamilton smashing his McLaren into a tyre wall at turn three. Meanwhile, the on-track intrigue this weekend would be escalated further by tactical decisions made as a result of Bridgestone’s decision to bring its super-soft and hard compounds to Hockenheim, should the rain stop long enough for their use.

23rd July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Preparing for GP2 at Hockenheim Following ‘Pleasing’ Silverstone Round

The fourth round of the inaugural GP3 series, run on the revised Silverstone track layout, gave Pirelli’s hard compound tyres a chance to show drivers their performance characteristics. Pirelli notes the new hard compound Pirelli PZero 13-inch tyres proved to be “both fast and reliable at Silverstone despite a wide variety of weather conditions that accurately reflected the vagaries of the British climate.”

20th July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors