New tests ahead for Bridgestone

The Formula 1 teams will once again try slick tires in April. It is the official tire supplier Bridgestone that announced it, as changes are planned for the 2009 season…

These tires have not been used in racing for several years and are being tested again, notably during the Jerez winter tests last December. The drivers were impressed by the sensations felt with the car at the beginning of the race.

Bridgestone now wants to continue the testing work and will provide teams with slick tires at the next major event, in Barcelona from April 14 to 17.

Tetsuro Kobayashi, the technical director of Bridgestone, stated: “We are looking for a potential major change in the tires for next season. That’s why we will be evaluating our latest slick tires during tests next April.”

Bridgestone also confirmed that its tire range for the year 2008 will remain unchanged from last season, according to the specifications. The only change will be to the super soft, which caused some problems for the teams in 2007.

« The changes for this season are very slight. The tire manufacturing has been carried out to optimize driver safety, » said Kobayashi.

« Regarding the car’s setup, there is no difference compared to last year. »

« We have modified the ‘super soft’, but this change will not take place until the end of the year. The other compounds, hard, medium, and soft, are the same as last year. »

« We will soon announce our tire distribution for each race for the first half of the season, the teams have already been informed of these decisions, » he concluded.