Abu Dhabi GP: Bridgestone brings two similar types of tires

It is with great pleasure that Bridgestone, the official tire supplier, travels to Abu Dhabi. Like all other participants this weekend, it will also be the first time for the Japanese company. Its director acknowledges that the Middle East is a promising market.

Exceptional race that will have an impact on the tires since it’s a new track with a new surface that will have seen very little use. With all these unknowns, Bridgestone will not take any risks as it will provide teams with Soft and Medium tires, two ranges with few differences.

Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director of Bridgestone Motorsport:

« It is wonderful for us to finish the season in such a fantastic place, and all the credit goes to everyone involved in the creation of the Yas Marina Circuit, a superb new facility watched by millions of viewers around the world. The Middle East is a strategically important market for us, and we will welcome a large number of important clients by inviting them to this race. »

Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Tire Development Director:

« This will be the very first race on this circuit, it’s truly a step into the unknown. Of course, we are working very closely with the circuit and the teams for simulations and evaluations with the track surface in question. We will also have some data from the GP2 Asia tests, which will have taken place the week before the Grand Prix. In terms of lateral forces, we can say that the circuit is similar to Valencia. The track in general is similar to Barcelona or Fuji. Our ambient temperature forecasts in Abu Dhabi will be similar to Bahrain. We expect the surface to evolve a lot. The layout of the circuit has urban aspects, so there will be traction demands. Like any new surface, we can expect some graining at the start of the weekend. We will bring soft and medium tires, so the mid-range. »