F1 No Closer in 2007 – Trulli
Formula One driver Jarno Trulli believes that racing will not become any closer in 2007 despite all the teams using the same tyres.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Positive about F1 Tyre Progress
Following the conclusion of the initial three Formula One winters tests at the Jerez de la Frontera test circuit Bridgestone has shown signs of satisfaction with the way the ten teams (the Spyker team did not test) have adapted to the 2007 tyres. Bridgestone Motorsport’s technical manager Hisao Suganuma commented that “Our initial impressions of the first three winter tests are very positive and I would like to thank the teams for their co-operation and hard work in their efforts to learn about the new Bridgestone Potenza tyres.”
Continue ReadingMichelin Reflects on F1 2006
Michelin celebrated their 2006 Formula One success in their hometown of Clermont-Ferrand on December 12. As a grand finale to the season Renault’s Heikki Kovaleinen conducted a demonstration run, the last organised appearance of a Formula One car fitted with Michelin tyres.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Finalises F1 Contracts
Bridgestone Motorsport has finalised contracts for the provision of Bridgestone Potenza Formula One tyres with the Renault F1 Team, Team McLaren Mercedes, Honda Racing F1 Team, BMW Sauber F1 Team, Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso. The six new teams are expected to run on Bridgestone F1 tyres for the first time at the Barcelona winter test in Spain, provisionally scheduled for 28-30 November, 2006. After six years of competitive tyre supply, the FIA Formula One World Championship is about to enter a new era with Bridgestone as the sole supplier of F1 tyres from 2007 to 2010. The new teams will be joining Bridgestone’s current stable of five teams: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, Panasonic Toyota Racing, WilliamsF1 Team, Spyker MF1 Team and Super Aguri F1 Team.
Continue ReadingHeidfeld: F1 Control Tyre Means Less Overtaking
BMW Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld has told motorsport reporters that overtaking will be more difficult when F1 runs solely on Bridgestone tyres next season. Overtaking always used to be difficult in Formula One and I think its going to remain difficult, he said, adding: When youve got different tyres, its more probable that the cars will take different turns at different speeds. In consideration of this fact, I expect the overtaking to become slightly more difficult.” The new F1 season is set to get underway in Australia in March, with the competitive difference of the tyres being eradicated by the fact that all 22 drivers will be running on the same rubber.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Restructures F1 Group
Hisao Suganuma, the technical manager of Bridgestone’s Formula One tyre group will return to work at the Japanese’ manufacturers motorsport group in Japan in 2007 as part of the company’s staff rotation programme. Suganuma was appointed as F1 technical manager in 2001 and was a key figure in Ferrari’s four F1 world championship victories from 2001-2004. In 2007 Bridgestone will be the sole tyre supplier in Formula One and has appointed Kees van der Grint and Jun Matsuzaki as joint technical managers in view of the increased workload.
Continue ReadingAlonso Takes F1 Title As Schumacher Bows Out
The Formula 1 season came to an exciting end at the Brazilian Grand Prix with Fernando Alonso of Renault (Michelin) retaining his world title after finishing second. Ferraris (Bridgestone) Felipe Massa led from pole to flag to record a win in his home country – his second career win – and Hondas (Michelin) Jenson Button finished third.
Continue ReadingF1 Experience For T&A Competition Winner, Courtesy Of Firestone
A car enthusiast enjoyed a unique taste of life in the fast lane, after taking an exclusive tour of the Williams F1 factory as a guest of Bridgestone. Robert Newton was given open access to the F1 team’s state-of-the-art Grove head office as the winner of a Tyres & Accessories competition to promote the Firestone brand. The trip enabled him to indulge his passion for fast cars and pick up some useful tips for one of his hobbies-cum-business ventures – building rally cars.
Continue ReadingHonda F1 and BMW Lifted by Maywood
Maywood Equipment Group has supplied the Honda Formula One team, based in Brackley, Northamptonshire, with a floor-to-floor platform lift (The Move 30) for the team’s wind tunnel complex. The Move 30 is a high-rise elevator type vehicle lift with a travel range of 1.8 to 12 metres and a capacity of three tonnes. In addition to taking cars from one floor to another it is also ideal for basement or roof parking. At Honda the lift takes vehicles from the ground level to the wind tunnel on the first floor and then up to the museum on the second floor.
Continue ReadingBridgestone to Supply F1 Control Tyre for 2008 Season
Bridgestone has been named as the sole tyre supplier for the Formula One world championship starting in 2008. In a widely anticipated move, the World Motor Sport Council named the Japanese manufacturer as control tyre supplier at a meeting on 5 July. Bridgestone was also designated the sole tyre supplier for the sport in 2007 due to the withdrawal of Michelin at the end of the current season. Michelin has consistently refused to supply a single-supplier F1, saying it would be counter-productive.
Continue ReadingMichelin Takes 100th F1 Win in Canada
Fernando Alonso’s (Renault F1 Team – Michelin) victory in Montreal has given Michelin its 100th win in Formula One racing. This latest success, Michelin’s seventh of the season, is the company’s 41st since returning to the sport in 2001. Around the same time Michelin made it clear that it would not tender for a single-supplier series. After an exciting race, the remaining podium places were filled the Bridgestone-equipped Ferrari of Michael Schumacher (2nd) and the Michelin-shod McLaren of Kimi Raikonnen.
Continue ReadingReports Say Pirelli Considering F1 Return
(Akron/Tire Review) News reports say that Pirelli SpA may throw its hat back into the Formula One tyre ring. According to Autosport magazine, Paul Hemery, head of Pirelli’s motorsport programme, said the company was considering all of its options after FIA began accepting bids for tyre suppliers for the 2008 season.
Continue Reading“Schumacher in Threat to Quit F1” – Report
Michael Schumacher has threatened to quit Formula One at the end of the year, according to an exclusive report in the UK newspaper, Sunday People. The article says that the seven times world champion has warned he will walk away from Ferrari if tyre manufactures Bridgestone dont listen to him.
Continue ReadingBeru to Sponsor FIA World Touring Car Championship
For Beru AG, innovative product development and commitment to motor sport have always gone hand in hand. And from April 2006 onwards the Ludwigsburg-based automotive equipment supplier will also be sponsoring the FIA World Touring Car Championship. The company, a specialist in ignition technology, diesel cold-start technology, electronics and sensor technology, is to become involved in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (FIA WTCC).
Continue ReadingNew O•Z Wheel Based on F1 Design
In 2005 O•Z Racing celebrated successes with Fernando Alonso and Renault F1 in the constructors’ and drivers’ world championships. The start of the 2006 season has produced a strong opener to the year not only for Renault, but for O•Z Racing as well. The wheel manufacturer is once again the supplier to the World Champion team as well as to the Williams team, which also has a successful Formula One track record.
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