Bridgestone announces changes for 2009

The sole tire supplier in Formula 1, Bridgestone, revealed the changes for the 2009 season.

Bald tires:

Slick tires will be back this season for the first time since 1997, replacing the grooved tires used over the last 11 seasons. The slick tires will be made of a soft rubber providing better grip for drivers.

Tire allocation:

Since 2007, drivers must use two types of tires during races, a set of hard tires that are more durable over distances, and a softer set providing better grip but over a shorter distance.

This year, Bridgestone will break the trend of supplying two consecutive tire compounds for races. There are four compounds, hard, medium, soft, and super-soft. With a large difference between the two compounds for each race. Note a greater difference between the performance of the two types over the distance of a Grand Prix.

With the removal of grooves in 2009, the method for distinguishing one type of tire from another will now be a green stripe on the sidewall of the soft tires. The second reason for this change is that Bridgestone continues to support the FIA’s “Make Cars Green” campaign, which is “the green car of tomorrow.”

« We tried to have a tire that has a shorter lifespan and offers immediate speed. Conversely, the tire with a longer lifespan will not offer immediate speed but will provide lasting and consistent performance once it reaches the right temperature, » explained Hirohide Hamashima, Director of Development at Bridgestone Motorsport.

« Of course, we are subject to many variables such as the different cars and drivers, not to mention the weather, which was a significant factor in 2008. We hope this will provide good challenges and entertainment for the upcoming Grand Prix. »

When the tracks are declared wet, Bridgestone must always provide wet, wet, and extreme wet tires.

The tyres for the first five races: