Belgian GP: Bridgestone is at home!

Even though the equipment manufacturer Bridgestone is originally from Japan, its European base is located in Belgium, so it will be a home Grand Prix! On this occasion, soft and medium tires will be made available to teams during the twelfth round of the season. The weather will have a significant impact on the tires, especially since rain is forecasted for the start of the weekend.

Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director of Bridgestone Motorsport:

« Belgium is the home of Bridgestone Europe, and in many ways, the Belgian Grand Prix is like a home race for us. Bridgestone Europe employs more than 13,000 people across Europe, distributed among eight tire factories. In Belgium, the group employs 1,100 people and hosts the headquarters of Bridgestone Europe and the subsidiary, Bandag Europe. Spa is a fantastic circuit to visit, it is full of history, and we are looking forward to an exciting race there. »

« Spa is a classic racing circuit. It is fast and also has some interesting challenges from a technical perspective. A lap here is very long. There are very long high-speed sections, with fast corners. Despite being a fast circuit, the level of downforce used on the cars is quite high, which means that heavy loads are transferred to the tires. There is a significant gradient change on a lap as well. Eau Rouge is a very fast corner. »

« In terms of tires, it’s a tough circuit. High loads are placed on the tires over a lap. It can be very cold here, warming up the tires could then be a complicated task especially with medium tires. We must not, of course, forget the weather. We have seen races in the rain several times. Because it’s a long track, you can have one part dry and another part wet. Tire choice will indeed be a strategic factor. »