Bridgestone confirms leaving Formula 1 at the end of the season

This season marks the start of a new era in F1, with so many innovations that will give a fresh impetus to the king of motorsport. So why already think about next season? While changes are abundant in this sport, there is one that will be significant: Bridgestone will no longer be the tire supplier for F1.

Certainly, recent rumors speak of the possibility of a new contract that would be more advantageous for the Japanese company, but the director of Bridgestone Motorsport, Hiroshi Yasukawa, is very clear: « Unfortunately, our company has made the decision, and nothing has changed. »

This decision will force the FIA to initiate a tender process for supplying tires for the 2011 championship. This process will still be followed by Bridgestone if the offer is attractive, comments Yasukawa.

He also insists on the fact that the call for tenders is essential: « We are waiting for the result of the call for tenders because, without it, we cannot move forward. We want to know who is applying. »

Bridgestone wants to know the required conditions, not losing sight of the possibility of selling its tire technology. On this question, the Japanese director remains vague:

Unfortunately, at this stage of the year, I don’t know. Our company stated that the FIA must make a first call for tenders, so we have to wait. But, unfortunately, our decision should be not to extend our contract.

If pessimism seems to be the order of the day for Hiroshi Yasukawa, some manufacturers are already in line.

Hankook, the 8th largest tire manufacturer in the world, present notably in ALMS (American Le Mans Series) and Kumho, the 10th largest globally, which associates its name with the F3 Euro Series and Super GT. These two Korean manufacturers are most frequently mentioned as future official suppliers of Formula 1.

Michelin could also make their return. The executives of the French group, number two in the world after Bridgestone, were present in the paddocks of Sakhir, Bahrain during the first GP of the 2010 season.

The French manufacturer left F1 in 2006 after the FIA decided to switch to a single tire manufacturer to reduce costs.