Formula Archives - Page 7 of 18 - Tyrepress

Posts

Bridgestone Brings F1 Glamour to BA Bush Store Opening

Bridgestone will help its partner, tyre retail group BA Bush & Son celebrate the opening of its latest depot with a weekend of events designed to entertain the whole family. BA Bush will be showcasing a replica Ferrari Formula One car – supplied by F1 tyre supplier, Bridgestone – this weekend (3 and 4 October) at Springfields Outlet Shopping & Festival Gardens in Spalding, Lincolnshire. Visitors will be able to have their picture taken next to the F1 car in exchange for a small donation to local charities.

2nd October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Renault Places Blame on Bosses in Formula One Race-Fixing Scandal

Formula One in 2009 is gaining something of a reputation for off-track scandal, but the allegation that the Renault team crashed one of its cars deliberately in order to give its other driver – Fernando Alonso – a better chance of winning last year’s Singaporean night race Grand Prix probably takes the biscuit. Nelson Piquet Jr., supported by his more legendary/beloved father, blew the whistle on the team following his thoroughly expected sacking. Today Renault’s chief, Patrick Pelata has pointed the finger of blame squarely at the now-departed team bosses, Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds. Both men resigned following Piquet Jr.’s revelations.

17th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Lotus to Become Fourth New F1 Team in 2010

While it seems odd to be talking about a company with such a rich racing heritage in these terms, Team Lotus is to become the fourth new Formula One team in 2010, according to recent reports by the BBC.

15th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Barichello to Push Button for Championship following Monza Victory

The leader of Formula One’s Drivers Championship since the beginning of the season, Jensen Button looks to be in for a fight to stay at the top of the rankings until the season is over, following victory for his Brawn GP teammate, Rubens Barrichello at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.

14th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

“There Will Be No Split”: Mosley Claims F1 Agreement Reached

Max Mosley, the president of the FIA, has claimed that the disagreement between Formula One’s administrative body and FOTA – an association of teams most notably including Ferrari – is over. Eight of the ten F1 teams had threatened to form a breakaway series in 2010 if rules restricting their budgets had been introduced.

It seems that Mosley has been forced to back down from his argument that F1 teams would have to reduce spending significantly next year; now, he told journalists at a press conference today (24 June, 2009), “There will be one F1 championship but the objective is to get back to the spending levels of the early 90s within two years.”

24th June 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Previews the Australian Grand Prix

The 2009 season of Formula One looks set to usher in a new era for the sport, with rule changes aplenty, a newly-formed and perhaps, dare we say, competitive team for perennial underachiever Jensen Button and – most interestingly in this writer’s opinion – the return of slick tyres from Bridgestone’s Potenza brand for the first time in over eleven years. It is the tyres that are at least partially responsible for the radically overhauled cars this year, which are sure to catch the eye. The latest aerodynamic regulations, designed to reduce downforce, mean that the cars look very different from their counterparts of twelve months ago. Round one of the 2009 World Championship gets under way with the ING Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park on 29 March.

Since slick tyres require a new method of marking to designate between compounds, as the previous method of painting one of the grooves with a white line no longer applies, Bridgestone has used the opportunity of launching a new system to show its continued support for the FIA’s Make Cars Green campaign by marking the softer of the two dry compounds available for each race with green sidewall markings. The now renamed “wet” tyre (formerly “extreme” tyre) will also feature a green line in a central groove. As before, two compounds of tyre will be available for every grand prix, with the requirement that both are used in the race. In a change from the previous allocation philosophy employed for the past two seasons, Bridgestone will now bring non-consecutive allocations to most events. For the Australian Grand Prix the medium and super soft tyres have been selected from the range of hard, medium, soft and super soft.

20th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Motorsport Announces F1 Tyre Specifications

Formula One tyre supplier Bridgestone has announced the compound allocations of its Potenza tyres for the first five rounds of the 2009 season. This year sees the return of slick tyres to Formula One after an eleven-season absence, and their comeback enables the implementation of softer rubber compounds – and this means more mechanical grip is available for competitors. This change, says Bridgestone, is significant for teams and drivers and is accompanied by considerable changes to the car aerodynamic packages, designed to reduce downforce and stimulate overtaking.

27th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone F1 Tyres Go Green

Kermit the Frog sang that ‘it’s not easy being green’, however this year’s Formula One teams may beg to differ. And while we don’t wish to declaim the truth behind Kermit’s musical lament, all race teams must do to be green in 2009 is sit back and await the arrival of Bridgestone’s soft dry weather and extreme wet weather tyres.

On February 26 the Japanese tyre major announced it will supply ‘Make Cars Green’ tyres to every team at every Formula One race this season. Through this initiative, Bridgestone says it aims to further spread the message of the ‘Make Cars Green’ environmental campaign it has been promoting globally with the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile since last year.

26th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Silverstone Releases New Track Layout Plans

Silverstone Circuits Ltd has unveiled provisional plans for a number of modifications to the track and spectator viewing areas at its Northamptonshire base. The most significant addition to the circuit will be a new section of track running from the approach at Abbey corner to an ‘Arrowhead’ at the inside of Becketts. The Arrowhead will then join up with the existing National Straight. Additional sections of track will also be laid at Chapel and Club in anticipation of the MotoGP World Championship rounds between 2010 and 2014 (following the signing of an agreement with Dorna to take the series to Silverstone).

18th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Masters of Formula Three Return to Zandvoort

Having spent the last two years just over the Belgian border at the Zolder racing circuit, the Masters of Formula Three will be returning to Circuit Park, Zandvoort this year. The prestigious event, in which the strongest racers from the British Formula Three Championship and the Formula Three Euro Series compete, was held for the first time at the Zandvoort circuit in 1991. Following a decision by the Dutch Supreme Court in 2007, the race had to be held at Zolder due to noise levels affecting local residences. However, with new measures in place, the 19th running of the Masters of Formula 3 will be back at its spiritual home on 13 and 14 June, 2009.

The international meeting is closely watched by teams from the GP2 series, the World Series by Renault, A1GP and Formula One. Among others, David Coulthard, Lewis Hamilton and Jos Verstappen all made it into Formula One, boosted by their victories in the Masters of Formula 3.

27th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Experience “Difficult F1 Test”

The official tyre supplier to Formula One, Bridgestone Motorsport has completed its first group test of 2009 at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve near Portimão, Portugal, where two compounds of 2009 specification slick tyres were used, as well as current specification wet and extreme wet tyres. Five teams were present over four days of testing between 19-22 January.

Though the Algarve location is famed for its good weather, the test was affected by wet and windy weather, and at one stage hailstones fell on the track during the course of the four days. While Bridgestone’s soft and super soft compound slick tyres were available for use, teams predominantly opted for the wet and extreme wet tyres. Adding to the difficulty of the wet weather, the ambient temperature was also much cooler than is expected to be experienced at races this season. This restricted the amount of meaningful data that could be obtained. Compounding the problem was the relatively new circuit, whose surface was very slippery as a result of both the weather and its freshness.

23rd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Protyre Motorsport Becomes Sole UK Michelin Track Tyre Supplier

As of the start of January 2009 Protyre Motorsport has stepped into the role of sole UK supplier for Michelin track tyres. Protyre Motorsport will also act as the official trackside tyre supplier for a number of high profile championships, including the Porsche Carrera Cup, the Porsche Club & Open Championship, Ginetta G50 Cup, Ginetta Juniors and Ginetta G20 Seniors, Formula Renault & Renault Clio Cup.

The Michelin track tyre deal involves the provision of a fully equipped mobile Protyre Motorsport race/track day tyre fitting workshop facility at all major race meetings in 2009, with special rates offered to affiliated partners. The company is now also the official supplier of the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup road legal track day tyres.

12th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

F1 Fun at Chiltern Tyres

Chiltern Tyre and Exhaust Specialists based in Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire played host to Bridgestone’s Formula One car as part of a family fun day. Families were invited down to the free event to get up close to the Formula One car, which took centre stage at the event alongside the Bridgestone Formula One simulator.

Visitors had their photos taken with the real Ferrari racing car, tested their driving skills on the simulator and enjoyed the food on offer. The kids at the event were also treated to free face painting all day.

16th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

‘The Stig’ in Pole Position at ETB Fundraiser

Stratford-upon-Avon’s latest First Stop dealership, ETB, opened in style with a weekend of fundraising activities and a visit from the original Top Gear ‘Stig’ (aka Perry McCarthy). The dealership, on Masons Road, raised funds for the MS Society and carried out free tyre checks for customers who dropped in.

5th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Hamilton Wins 2008 Championship on Final Lap

Lewis Hamilton benefitted from some good fortune to become the youngest ever Formula One World Champion after running an uncharacteristically conservative Brazilian Grand Prix. With Felipe Massa already over the line in first place and sitting at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, Hamilton scraped past Timo Glock – who was slowing due to difficult wet weather conditions – on the penultimate bend to retake fifth position at Interlagos and first place for the season. The last British Champion Damon Hill, commentating on the BBC, described the race as “the most exciting Formula One race I have ever seen”.

Much of the drama was prompted by difficult weather conditions. When drops of rain began to fall ten laps from the race’s conclusion, the pits saw a flurry of action as Kimi Raikkonen, Hamilton and Massa all changed to intermediate tyres. On Lap 69, just two from the end, Sebastian Vettel – punching above his car’s weight in the rain once again – took his Toro Rosso past Hamilton into fifth place, meaning that the Briton would have lost out on the Championship in Brazil for the second time in two seasons. However, Glock’s slower pace allowed Vettel and Hamilton to gain one more place each before the finish line, concluding the season dramatically, and leaving Massa to spray his winner’s champagne with less vigour than he might have expected moments earlier.

The BBC – which will take the reins of Britain’s live coverage from ITV next season – left it to Hamilton’s girlfriend and Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger to sum up the emotional rollercoaster of the final minutes: “it was so tough late on. I almost did collapse in the garage. I couldn’t calm down, nor could Nicholas [Hamilton’s brother]. We just both kept screaming at each other.” Scherzinger attributed Hamilton’s victory to a source of power higher than even the weather: “I can only thank God for that moment when Lewis crossed the line as champion.” Hamilton’s father Anthony experienced similar emotions: “I believed in God. I believed that right would come through – now, where’s Timo? I want to give him a kiss.” It was unknown, however, what Massa had done to upset the Big Man, with championship victory mere seconds from his grasp.

3rd November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors